The Samaritan Update

“Mount Gerizim,

All the Days of Our Lives”


 

July/August 2016                                                                                                     Vol. XV - No 6

In This Issue

·         Samaritan Medal

·         Fragment 4 sale

·         Births & Marriage

·         Exhibition

·         Priest Yosef

·         Samaritan Priest

·         Calendar

·         Astrologers

·         Russian article

·         Brazil Synagogues

·         Benny Lecture

·         Green Mosque

·         Visitors

·         9th Congress

·         Samaritan Binding

·         Samaritan photos

·         Japanese article

·         Forth Coming books

·         Biblio

·         Interesting

 

Your link to the Samaritan Update Index

On January 1, 2015, the Samaritan Community numbered 777.

 

Future Events

It has been 3655 years since the entrance into the Holy Land

 (Samaritan’s typical calendar) 

 

2016

Festival of the Seventh Month- Saturday Oct. 1, 2016

Day of Atonement- Monday, Oct. 10, 2016

Festival of Sukkot, Third Pilgrimage- Saturday Oct. 15, 2016

Festival of the Eight Day- Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016

The Eighth Month 3655 - Sunday Evening, October 30, 2016

The Ninth Month 3655 - Tuesday Evening, November 29, 2016

The Tenth Month 3655- Wednesday Evening, December 28, 2016

2017

The Eleventh Month 3655 - Friday Evening, January 27, 2017

The Twelfth Month 3655 - Sunday Evening, February 26, 2017

The First Month 3655 - Monday Evening, March 27, 2017

Passover Sacrifice - Monday Evening between the sunsets [7:11 PM] - April 10, 2017

 

[Calculated by: Priest Yakkiir ['Aziz] b. High Priest Jacob b. 'Azzi – Kiriat Luza, Mount Gerizim]

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Reinhard Pummer awarded Samaritan Medal


At the opening ceremony of the 9th International Congress of Samaritan Studies in Prague on July 31, emeritus Professor of the University of Ottawa, Reinhard Pummer was awarded the 2016 Samaritan Medal for Academic Achievement.

(Photo right: Professor Reinhard Pummer (right) and his wife Lucille (right) with Samaritan Benyamim Tsedaka.) (Image left, the Samaritan Medal)

 

The University of Ottawa website profile gives a great biography; ‘Reinhard Pummer has published on the formative period of Samaritanism, but also on the present day Samaritans. Among his publications are a pictorial documentation of ancient and modern Samaritan beliefs and practices in the series ‘Iconography of Religions,’ a reference work on Samaritans and Samaritan studies, an edition of Samaritan marriage contracts, a bibliography of the Samaritans, and a monograph on the Samaritans in early Christian writings.’

 

View his list of work at his biography page.

 

Congratulations Professor, we all have enjoyed your work for many years and are always looking forward to your next project.

 

(Photo right: Professor Reinhard Pummer with the Samaritan Medal awarded by the Samaritan Medal Foundation)

http://samaritanmedal.com/

 

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Samaritan Manuscript Fragment is For Sale

 

In the last issue of the Samaritan Update, there was an article of the Samaritan fragment that has brought a little attention to Samaritan scholars. Now the owner of the fragment, Thomas Milner, has decided to sell his book that has the Samaritan fragment. He will accept offers till the end of the month of Sept. 2016.

 

You can learn more about the fragment in the last issue of the Samaritan Update.

 

Should you be interested or know someone that might be interested in purchasing the book/fragment, please contact Thomas Milner at thomasmilner7@gmail.com.

 

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Reasons for Samaritans to Celebrate

 

Baby Girl, Beth Was Born to Yif'at and Yaaqob b. Priest Yefet b. Ab-Hisda on Thursday, 28.7.2016. (Photo left)

Congratulations!!!!

 

Baby Girl, was born to Vered and Gilad Tsdaka on 29. 8. 2016.

Congratulations!!!! (Photo right)

 

 

 

 

 

A New Young Israelite-Samaritan Couple in Holon - 26.7.2016 Leen and Abraahm b. Baarok b. Abraah Maarheeb. Congratulations!!!! (Photo left)

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Miriam Tsedaka’s Exhibition

First time in the history of Art: An Exhibition of Paintings on the Israelite Samaritans and their heritage, by the Artist Miriam Tsedaka was opened in the City Hall of Holon, Israel

Yesterday was the opening of the first exhibition of Paintings on the Israelite Samaritans and their heritage, first time in the history of art, works of Miriam Tsedaka. It was in the City Hall of our city Holon south to Tel Aviv. The exhibition will be displayed in Holon till August 31 and then in number of other cities of Israel planned to be displayed in the near future outside Israel overseas.

The opening was so beautiful as the artist herself that blessed by the priest of Holon Asaf b. Tabia. The City Hall Heads expressed their happiness to host such an exhibition and their respect to the Israelite Samaritan People.

Pictures:

- The Priest Asaf b. Tabia with the Artist Miriam and the Director General of the City Holl. Mrs. Hannah Hertzman

- Miriam and I with one of her painting of the High Priest Yaaqob b. Aahrron [1840-1916] and some members of the priestly family with the Holy Torah Scroll

 

 Benyamim Tsedaka.

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Read the full article: https://shomron0.tripod.com/articles/story_of_the_priest_yosef.pdf

 

Read the full article: https://shomron0.tripod.com/articles/story_of_priest_who_discovered.pdf

Read the full article: https://shomron0.tripod.com/articles/thecalendarcalculation.pdf

 

Read the full article: https://shomron0.tripod.com/articles/threeastrologers.pdf

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An Israelite Samaritan Synagogue in the Amazon - the First in Brazil

My friend Yiftah [Carlos] Ban Abraahm Lima sent me last night a picture of Israelite-Samaritan synagogue first in Brazil with a community of about 200 families, the same size of our Israelite Samaritan community in Israel. The direction of the synagogue is North-East towards Mount Gerizim.

The community situated in the State of Amazonas, one of the 29 Brazilian states, seven hours earlier to the clock in Israel.

They greet each other, "Baarok Shehmaa", On Friday and Saturday evening: "Shabbikon Taaben Yesi" and "Ashshehlam 'Alikimma" on Saturday night. They keep Holidays and Shabbat and keep reading the weekly Torah portion; they keep the laws purity and impurity, happy and hospitable to one another, and wish peace to all members of our community. Their website has many pictures of community life in our country.

They believe in Shehmaa, Moses, the holy Torah and Aargaareezem Bit El=House of El.

There is another 8-Samaritan Israelite communities in Brazil smaller or larger, and all of them are in advanced process of building a synagogue.

Second synagogue soon to be completed is in the state of Para, Brazil, six hours earlier than in Israel.

Total number of all members of the Samaritan Israeli communities in Brazil, estimated at between 8,000 to 9,000 individuals. The author maintains weekly contact with all nine presidents of communities.

Baarok Shehmaa

 

Believe it or not, there are 9 communities, like 25% of them as I have been told are formerly Jews-Karaites and Rabbinical and the rest formerly Christians. And this is only in Brazil. There are smaller communities in USA, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Russia, India and Indonesia. I have met some of their leaders and they have planned a meeting of all the presidents in November in Sao Paulo. This next trip will be my third visit since 2014. I pray the economic crisis in Brazil will be solved soon so they would all of them come to the meeting.

 

The people that I met if they consider Israeli Samaritans and maintain their identity under my advice as chief advisor of all communities. We, the original Israelite Samaritans, do not recognize the conversion process, but joining the circumcision and keeping the commandments of the true version of the Torah.

 

Benyamim Tsedaka.

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ISRAELITE SAMARITAN BENYAMIM TSEDAKA SPEAKS TO AN AUDIENCE IN BATH ABOUT HIS PEOPLE AND HERITAGE

https://wefriendsofisrael.org/2016/08/16/israelite-samaritan-benyamim-tsedaka-speaks-to-an-audience-in-bath-about-his-people-and-heritage/

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“Green Mosque" in Nablus, home to the third meeting of religions

 

An Arabic article on three religions around Nablus.

http://www.alquds.com/articles/1471696696852294600/

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A group of German visitors visited the Samaritan museum the morning of August 23, 2016
The group attended the lectures that was given by priest Husney the manager of the museum, and they asked many questions about the history and the religion and culture of the Samaritans specially about Samaritan's woman role in the community.

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THE FINAL UPDATE OF THE NINTH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF SAMARITAN STUDIES
PRAGUE, CHARLES UNIVERSITY
JULY 31 - AUGUST 5, 2016

President: Magnar Kartveit
Vice-president: Stefan Schorch
Secretary: Arnaud Sérandour
Treasurer: Ursula Schattner-Rieser
9th Congress of the Société d’études samaritaines

Protestant Theological Faculty, Charles University in Prague, 
Černá 9, P.O.Box 529, CZ115 55, Praha 1, Czech Republic
Organization: doc. Jan Dušek, Ph.D., Prague (dusek@etf.cuni.cz)
Conference Program
Each speaker has 35 minutes for paper and discussion

Sunday, July 31

17:00 Opening of the conference bureau for registration
18:00 Opening of the conference
Samaritan Medal Foundation award for R. Pummer
19:00 Reception

Monday, August 1

9:00 – 9:35 M. Kartveit, Possible antiSamaritan polemics in 2 Kings 17
9:35 10:10 G. Knoppers, Context and Content: The Samaritan Tenth Commandment
10:10 10:45 J. Bourgel, The destruction of the Samaritan Temple by John Hyrcanus: a
Reconsideration
10:45 – 11:00 Break
11:00 – 11:35 B. Hensel, The Chroniclers Concept of Polemics against the Samaritan YHWH
worshippers: a Fresh Attempt
11:35 12:10 O. Abadi, On the Appearance of the Samaritan Script
Lunch
15:00 15:35 N. Mizrahi, Peculiar Orthography in the Qumran Phylacteries in the Light of Samaritan
Hebrew
15:35 – 16:10 M. Whitters, The Samaritans in Rome and in Paul’s Thinking
16:10 – 16:30 Break
16:30 – 17:05 J. T. Mace, The Parable of the Ḥesedic Samaritan (Luke 10:2937): Jesuss Affirmative
Declaration in the Debate over Samaritan Israelism
17:05 – 17:40 B. Tsedaka, The Central State of Moses in the IsraeliteSamaritan Literature over the
Ages

Tuesday, August 2

9:00 – 9:35 L. Barkan, The Language of the Arabic Translation of the Samaritan Pentateuch
9:35 – 10:10 G. Schwarb, Muʿtazilī patterns of argument in Abū lasan alṢūrī’s Treatise on the
qibla and its Qaraite refutation 
10:10 – 10:45 D. Boušek, The Story of Prophet Muḥammad’s Encounter with a Jew, a Christian and
a Samaritan: the Version from Abū alFatḥ’s Kitāb alTārīkh and Its Context
10:45 11:00 Break
11:00 11:35 S. Schorch, An Unknown and Unique Samaritan Arabic Introductory Prayer by Abu 
lasan auri
11:35 12:10 G. Wedel, Polemics in Abū lasan alṢūrī’s Kitāb alabbākh (11th century, CE)
Lunch
15:00 15:35 J. Droeber, Whose Neighbour? How Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Samaritans Live
Together in Nablus
15:35 16:10 M. Schreiber, Cousins and Strangers: Marital Preferences among the Contemporary
Samaritans
16:10 – 16:30 Break
16:30 – 17:05 A. Mashiach – I. Hershkowitz, Contemporary Halakhic Discourse on Samaritans
17:05 – 17:40 D. Hamidović, Le projet de traduction française du Pentateuque samaritain

Wednesday, August 3

Morning: excursion
Lunch
Afternoon: General Assembly of the Société d’études samaritaines

Thursday, August 4

9:00 – 9:35 E. Baruch, The Samaritans during the Byzantine Period: Material Culture and Identity
9:35 – 10:10 R. Pummer, How to Tell a Samaritan Synagogue from a Jewish Synagogue
10:10 – 10:25 Break 
10:25 – 11:00 A. Lehnardt, If a Cuthean Comes and Forces You into Military Service (Pesiqta deRav
Kahana, HaHodesh, piska 5) AntiSamaritan Polemics in a Homiletic Midrash
11:00 11:35 A. Tal, Nimrod, a Man of Might How Many of Them?
Lunch
15:00 – 15:35 A. Tarshina, The Formation of Hyperheavy Syllables in Samaritan Aramaic
15:35 – 16:10 M. Florentin, Gemination in Samaritan Hebrew – Grammar, Interpretation and
Version
16:10 – 16:25 Break
16:25 – 17:00 R. Bardenstein, Historical Bindings of the WarrenChamberlain Samaritan Collection

Friday, August 5

9:00 – 9:35 G. Akhiezer, Between Samaritans and Karaites: the Visit of Abraham Firkovich in
Sichem and his Perception of Samaritanism
9:35 – 10:10 V. Morabito, Les Samaritains de Sicile et Samaritains en Sicile
10:10 – 10:30 Break
10:30 – 11:05 K. Keim, The Samaritan Correspondence of Dr Moses Gaster
11:05 – 11:40 S. Ford, The Lives of Baba Rabbah: Composition and Communional Identity in the
Samaritan Chronographic Tradition
11:40 – 12:00 Conclusion

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A Short Review of Samaritan Binding Practices

By Julia Poirier

JULY 6, 2016 / CHESTERBEATTYCONSERVATION

In this post I will look at some of the many questions raised during the conservation and re-binding of the large 14th century Samaritan Pentateuch I worked on as part of the recent project to conserve the Hebrew manuscript collection.

As I began work on this Pentateuch, it became apparent that the current scholarly understanding of Samaritan manuscript and binding production consists of just a few texts. This is probably due to the limited amount of Samaritan manuscript material that survives, and the lack of original binding evidence this material preserves. Even so, the existing literature gives the conservator a valuable starting point in understanding medieval Samaritan book production.

Read the entire article at their Chester Beatty Conservation website

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Nir Sasony, posts a Samaritan ketubah written by his Grandfather in 1925 on Facebook

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Some wonderful Samaritan Photos from Kurt Wyss (Bael, Switzerland) of the Passover Sacrifice. I cannot give a year from these photos.

See them at http://www.tageswoche.ch/de/2013_13/basel/525854/

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Japanese Researcher Visits the Samaritan Museum

 Miss Maho, a Japanese researcher visited the Samaritan museum on July 18, 2016 along with her co-workers. Miss Maho researched the Samaritan community and published her results in a Japanese book.

During her visit to the museum she presented her book to priest Husney, the manager of the museum and expressed her gratitude for the help she received from the priest in her research. (Source: Samaritan Museum Facebook)

 

 

David Bivin Photos from the 1960s http://webmail.cdts.org.tw/bibleplaces/Bivin_Views_1960s/zHtml/samaria.htm

 

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Forth Coming

 

Samaritan Languages, Texts, and Traditions: History, Texts, and Traditions (Studia Samaritana)

by Stefan Schorch (Author, Editor)

 

Series: Studia Samaritana (Book 8)

Hardcover: 330 pages

Publisher: Walter De Gruyter Inc (October 31, 2016)

Language: English

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For Sale on Ebay

The Israelite Journey through the Wilderness in the Sinai Peninsula

By Samaritan Priest Husney Wasef

This is an English translation of Husney’s earlier work published three years ago, of which has been disputed by other Samaritans as not being accurate. Nevertheless it may be interesting.

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Schwab, Moise

Voyages: Lettres d'Obadia de Bertinoro (1487-89) Paris: au Bureau des Archives Israelites, 1866, Page 21

 

Il y a, maintenant au Caire environ sept cents familles juives, dont cinquante sont samaritaines, nommées aflssi culhéennes. cent cinquante karaîtes, et tout le reste rabbanites. tes Samaritains n'ont que le Pentateuque, et ils ne se servent pas, pour l'Écriture sainte, de nos caractères. C'est, selon l'avis de Maïmenide, l'écriture hébraïque dont se servait Israël en principe, avant l'exil en Assyrie {{); maisleur langue est la même que la nôtre. Partout dans la Torâ, pour lé nom de l'Éternel f.T), ils écrivent Aschima. Us étaient en opprobre aux Juifs, parce qu'ils sacrifiaient et qu'ils encensaient sur le mont Garizim. Plusieurs d'entre eux ont voyagé avec nous et ont quitté le Caire pour sacrifier l'agneau pascal sur le mont où ils ont un petit temple. Ils n'observent le snbbatb que depuis le vendredi à midi jusqu'au samedi à midi. Il n'en existe plus que fort peu; car il paraît à peine en exister encore cinquante familles en tout l'univers (et de nos jours, il n'y a plus guère que trente familles à Nablous). . ,., . .

 

Google English Translation

There, now in Cairo about seven hundred Jewish families, which are fifty Samaritan, named aflssi culhéennes. Karaites hundred and fifty, and everything Rabbinites. your Samaritans have only the Pentateuch, and they do not use, for the Holy Scriptures, our characters. That is, in the opinion of Maïmenide, Hebrew writing which was using Israel in principle, before the exile to Assyria {{); maisleur language is the same as ours. Throughout the Torah, for lé f.T name of the Lord), they write Ashima. They were a reproach to Jews, because they sacrificed and offering incense on Mount Gerizim. Many of them have traveled with us and left Cairo for sacrificing the Passover lamb on the Mount where they have a small temple. They observe that sabbath since Friday noon until Saturday noon. There are over very little; for it seems hardly yet exist fifty families in the universe (and these days, there is little more than thirty families in Nablus).

 

Biblio

 

Daunou, Pierre Claude François

Notices et extraits des manuscrits de la Bibliothèque du Roi : et autres bibliothèques [...], faisant suite aux….. Institut de France: Paris : Imprimerie royale : [puis] Impr. impériale : [puis] Impr. nationale  1832.’ In Journal des savants. Fevrier 1833 Paris: de l’Imprimerie Royale 108-117

 

Drival, M.L’Abbe E. van

Grammaire comparée des langues sémitiques et de l'égyptien  Paris: Maisonneuve et Cie, Libraires-Editeurs, 1879, 196-200

 

Duval, Rubens

 Pentatenchus samaritanus. Ad fidem librorum manuscriptorum apud Nablusianos repertorum edidit et varies lectiones asscriptsit H. Petermann, Fasciculus IV, Numeri, ex recensione Caroli Voller. Berlin, Moeser, 1885, in-8, p. 349-465. In Revue Critique d’Histoite et de Litterature, No. 29, 19 juillet, 1886, 41-44 Reviewer

 

Glaire, Jean-Baptiste

Introduction historique et critique aux livres de l'ancien et du nouveau testament. Tome Premier, Paris, Chez Méquignon Junior, 1839

 

Neubaur, M.A.

‘Sects Among the Jews.’  Papers Read Before the Jews College Literary Society During the Session 1886-7, London: Office of the Jewish Chronicle, 1887, 1-12

 

Reinaud, Joseph Toussaint

Notice historique et littéraire sur m. le baron Silvestre de Sacy lue à la séance générale de la Société asiatique le 25 juin 1838, Paris, Librairie orientale de ve Dondey-Dupré, 1838.

 

Schneider, A. M.

Römische und byzantinische Bauten auf dem Garizim

Beiträge zur biblischen Landes- und Altertumskunde

Bd. 68, H. 3 (1951), pp. 211-234

Published by: Deutscher verein zur Erforschung Palästinas

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27930427

Page Count: 27 http://www.jstor.org/stable/27930427?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

 

Unknown

Publication d'un ancien manuscrit contenant un précis curieux des hérésies qui ont le plus alarmé l'Eglise..: suivie de ; Réflexions sur les différentes sectes. Paris : toutes les librairies ecclésiastiques et classiques ; Pont-à-Mousson : A. Simon, 1840. ‘Samaritains.’ 193-196

 

Annales de Philosophie Chrétienne, recueil périodique destiné à fair connaître tout ce que les sciences humaines . . renferment de preuves et de découvertes en faveur du christianisme; par une société d'ecclésiastiques, de littérateurs, de naturalistes, de médecins et de jurisconsultes.  (sous la direction de M.A. Bonnetty.) Tome XII Paris: Au Bureau des Annals de Philosophie Chrétienne 1836 [This is an Index.]

 

 

Interesting:

Biographie de la Moselle, ou Histoire par ordre alphabétique de toutes les personnes nées dans ce département, qui se sont fait remarquer par leurs actions, leurs talens, leurs écrits, leurs vertus, ou leurs crimes Tome 4 Metz Verronnais 1832 By Émile Auguste Nicolas Jules Bégin pp. 256-257

Google translation:

Simon de Sarrebruck:

The editor of the Journal who paints Simon as a good man and a tender piety, appears very gullible. "In Venic e, we show them, he says, in God's house," a big dent in the Giant Goliath, which avoit plus "half a foot long etpesoit  twelve books Ramas" (Rama), the one tells them house where the Virgin "was going to school to learn to read} to Gareza (Gaza)," they find some miscreants called Samaritains and hereunto people can not be in the world" alive than a thousand people as he was told, "and ordained our Lord in prayer of Moses. "What God has so ordered the prayer of Moses, nothing supports this assertion, but the truth is that the number of the Samaritans at the time in question, was already very restricted, and that we found some in Gaza. Benjamin of Tudela, who at \ ic century, traveled in the East, is somewhat truthful writer, but his narrative, supported b y others, evidenced by the small number of Samaritans who currently is hardly that about two hundred individuals, mostly in Nablus and some Jaffa. This fact is evidenced by the letters I have received the same Samaritans with whom I reconnected the correspondence they had had formerly with Scaliger, Ludolph and Marshal, but was interrupted for a hundred and nineteen years. (Voy. My History of Sects, Vol. II, p. 3i3  to 336.)

Simon Saarbrücken, after visiting the holy places in Palestine, went to the St. Catherine Monastery Sinai, passed away in Cairo, and came, as we have said, finishing his career with Inicotie. This Journal is hardly a route I can however provide some facts to establish the chain of historical traditions and geographical descriptions.

The book referenced is the Journal contenant le voyage faict en Hierusalem et autres lieux de dévotion, tant en la Terre Saincte qu'en Ægypte : Par tres-illustre Seigneur messire Simon de Sarebruche, chevalier, baron d'Anglure, au diocèse de Troyes, en l'année 1395. Mis en lumière pour la premiere fois sur le manuscript trouvé en une bibliothèque.

Author:                Ogier d' Anglure; Simon de Sarrebruck (d. 1396 C.E.)

Publisher:            Troyes : Noel Moreau, 1621.

 

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The Samaritan Update is open to any articles that are relative to Samaritan Studies. Submit your work to The Editor 

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