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The
Samaritan Community Numbered
645 Persons On January 1,
2002.
The Passover Sacrifice
Will take place on
Friday evening, April 26th this year. The Feast of Unleavened
Bread begins on the evening of the 27th
You may want to read;
‘The Celebration of Passover by the Samaritans’
By Ya’aqov Ben Uzzi Ha-Cohen
Or our other Passover related articles:
The Book of Enlightenment For the
Instruction of the Inquirer
PART 1 /Jacob, Son of Aaron, (Concerning the origin
and significance of the ceremonial year, the time of the institution of the
Passover and the Passover when the date falls on the Sabbath.)
Passover with the Samaritans
on Mount Gerizim /Larry Rynearson
The Prophecy of The End Of the Of
Days By The Prophets Of Judah Is Realized Every Passover At Kiryat Luza/Benjamim Tsedaka
Visit our New Samaritan Store!
From our Store at The-Samaritans.Com:
http://www.the-samaritans.com/Store.htm
Samaritan Interactive CD-ROM from Nes Multimedia
Production Ltd. The CD works on Windows and Macintosh computers. Exhibits
many photos and mini movies. Addresses the Samaritan religion, chronicles,
community, language and literature. There is even an interactive quiz that
can test your knowledge. The Samaritan Singers reform (Osher sings with them
on this cd-rom) their music on the CD-ROM. It is full of information.
Other items:
The Samaritan Talit;
Amulets;
Samaritan Cookbook in
Hebrew,
The CD of the Samaritan Singers,
A copy of the Samaritan Torah,
Post cards of the Samaritans
Or if you are looking for something different. Interested
parties can contact us at webmaster@the-samaritans.com
Photos of The
Samaritans
Maintaining The Ritual of Sacrificing the Passover in 1934
Recent Additions To Our Web Site:
The Problem of the Patrilineal or
Matrilineal Decent and Inter-Marriage
According to the Samaritan and Rabbinic
Halakah
By Michael Corinaldi
Get a free
E-mail Address from www.The-Samaritans.com/ . Just go
to our web site and find “get a free e-mail address” or go to http://samaritan.i-p.com/ and register.
Let people know you are involved with the Samaritans.
Coming soon!
Literary
Remains of the Late Emanuel Deutsch
With
a Brief Memoir
Henry Holt and
Company, NY, 1874
On the Samaritan
Pentateuch.
AND
The
Return of the Diaspora Samaritans to Nablus at the End of the Middle Ages
By
Nathan Schur
Samaritans, Smallest
Minority in Holy Land, Straddle Religious Divide
By Daniel Williams
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday,
April 9, 2001; Page A13
Read the
article.
Subscribe to the
A.B.- The
Samaritan News-
Since December 1969.
A Bi-Weekly Newspaper, written in
four languages.
POB 1029, Holon 58 110, Israel or e-mail Benyamim
and Yefet Tsedaka at: tsedakab@netvision.net.il
Back issues are available.
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Samaritans Remain Safe From Harm
Israel has been
fighting against the clock to finish the work before the US forces her to
withdraw from the Palestinian areas. Tanks and troops were moved onto Mount
Gerizim during the movement of the Israeli forces in the West Bank to take
control of Nablus and its surrounding area. With little battles in the area,
the Samaritans have remained safe from harm. With respect for both the
Palestinians and Israelis, the Samaritans have survived the scene with no
casualties. The Samaritans’ policy is not to take sides. This is the
situation that the Samaritans face in order to continue to exist between the
fractions in the troubled area.
A Good Samaritan Passed Away
Recently
Abraham ben
Tsedaka ben High Priest Yitzhaq b. Amram passed away recently. He was 80
years old. Recently Abraham injured himself from a fall on the road near his
home in Kiryat Luza, Mount Gerizim. He died in surgery from complications in
Yitzhaq Rabin Hospital in Petach Tikva, Israel. Abraham was the cousin of the
current High Priest, Shalom Ben Amram. He was loved my all and will be
missed. May God deliver his soul to paradise for good!
The British Support the Idea of
Turning Mount Gerizim into the Island of Peace.
A Samaritan Delegation Will Enlist the EU To
Implement the Idea
The British
support the idea of turning Mount Gerizim into the Island of Peace. A
Samaritan delegation will enlist the EU to implement the idea.
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and
commonwealth Affairs Mr. Ben Bradshaw supports the idea that Benyamim
Tsedaka, do-editor of the A.B.-The Samaritan News, proposed during his
meetings in December 2001 in the British Foreign Office in London. The letter
that Under-Secretary Bradshaw wrote on 29.1 to Lord Eric A. Avebury, Deputy
Chairman of the Human Rights Committee in the British Parliament is brought
down below as follows:
Foreign & Commonwealth Office SWIA 2AH 29 January, 2002
Lord Avebury, House of Lords, London SW1A OPA
Dear Eric,
Thank you for your
letter of 20th December 2001 about your meeting with Mr. Benny
Tsedaka. Mr. Tsedaka expressed concern about the Samaritans ‘freedom of
access between Mount Gerizim near Nablus and Holon, and the effect of
closures and the upsurge in violence has had on the Samaritans there. Mr.
Tsedaka also raised these concerns when he met with my officials on 17,
December 2001. I am sorry for the delay replying.
It is extremely
unfortunate that the Samaritans have had difficulties when trying to travel
to religious festivals on Mount Gerizim. I fully understand Mr. Tsedaka’s
concerns and support the idea of establishing a Zone of Peace around Mount
Gerizim. I would encourage all parties concerned to enter into a dialogue
about the merits of this.
Closures and
restrictions on movement affect everyone in the Occupied Territories. I am
deeply concerned about their humanitarian and economic impact. Sustained
closures continue to restrict the free movement of people and essential supplies
between the Occupied Territories and Israel and other countries, as well as
within the Occupied Territories. Economic hardship and unemployment can only
fuel hatred and violence, and make a comprehensive settlement more difficult
to achieve. The lifting of closures and the transfer of tax revenues owed to
the Palestinian Authority form part of the recommendations of the Mitchell
Committee report. We have expressed our serious concerns to the Israeli
Government on political, legal and humanitarian grounds, and will continue to
do so. I made strong representations to this point when I met Israeli leaders
on 15 January.
The rights of
all those in Israel and the Occupied Territories can be best protected by
achieving peace and a settlement that is just for both Palestinians and
Israelis. All our efforts are devoted to promoting a return by the parties.
We have brought
Mr. Tsedaka’s concerns to the attention of our embassy in Tel Aviv and our
Consulate General in Jerusalem and asked for their views. Yours Sincerely, Ben Bradshaw
Britain Supports the Plan for Mount Gerizim
The implication
of Secretary of State Bradshaw’s letter is far fetching as regards the
shaping of the Samaritans’ political future. It leaves no doubt of Britain’s
intentions concerning the Samaritans and the status of Mount Gerizim as a
center of peace in the area, accessible to anyone who wishes to go there.
Britain supports the idea and will take steps to implement it. It is clear to
all concerned that this is not a polite declaration meant only to carry out
an obligation; rather the contrary, this is about supporting the idea and
taking practical steps to implement it. The British Under- Secretary writes
explicitly that he will encourage all the parties concerned, Israel, the Palestinians,
the European Union and Britain to discuss the advantages of the idea, which
means the transformation of Mount Gerizim into a Geneva of the Middle East
and he recommends taking further action in order to achieve this aim.
A Samaritan Delegation to the European Union
A Samaritan
delegation will set out on March 31, 2001 to the seat of the European Union
to conduct meetings with representatives of five leading countries in Europe
to promote the idea of developing Mount Gerizim as a Peace Center. The
delegation, which will probably be headed by High Priest Shalom Ben Amram
will include representatives of Samaritan committees from Holon and Kiryat
Luza.
The delegation
is intended to meet with representatives of Spain, which is currently the President
of the EU, Britain, France, Germany and Norway, who have positive relations
with both Israel and the Palestinian authority. The delegation will present a
series of ideas for the development of Mount Gerizim as The Island of Peace
in the sea of violence and hatred around it and for the future of both
sectors of the Samaritan community, in Holon and in Kiryat Luza.
The Americans are showing interest
At the same time
Lord Avebury broached the subject with General Anthony Zinni, the special
American Mid east ambassador for the implementation of the Mitchell Committee
report. General Zinni showed great interest in the subject of the Samaritans
and expressed his great surprise at having heard about this for the first
time. He requested additional information about the Samaritans and about the
concept of Mount Gerizim as a Peace Center. Suitable information has been
forwarded to him.
The Samaritan Delegation met with the European Union
The Samaritan Delegation
returned from Brussels on April 5th with optimism after a week of meetings.
Benyamim Tsedaka headed the Delegation in place of the High Priest.
Unfortunately the High Priest Shalom Ben Amram was unable to leave for the
reason that his cousin, Abraham ben Tsedaka had passed away the night before
the trip. The delegation in Brussels has met with three different American
unions as well as delivering updates to General Zini. Meetings with at least
20 MEP's and heads of international organizations and the highlight was the
meeting with the President Cox of the European Parliament. It was an
exception from his side because he used to meeting with Presidents and Prime
Ministers such as Bush or Blare. Benyamim Tsedaka utilized the chance to
inform him about the state of the Samaritans, “between Israel and the
Palestinians as I have said to the rest personalities about our sick the
peace in our area and because the Samaritans are the only issue that both
sides is agreed and declared about their concerns to their future as well as
the fact that the only place Palestinians and Israelis can meet in peace
today is Mount Gerizim. Of course I have attached to the idea of Mount
Gerizim as a center of peace number of detailed development projects that we
need the European Union to assist us to implement them. In the proposal we
brought with us to the European Parliament we have included the letter of
warm support of the British Foreign Minister to Asia, Africa and the Middle
East Mr. Ben Bradshaw. All the diplomats we have met have expressed their
willingness to help the positive idea as they said and to help the Samaritans
to be a bridge of peace in the area. In brief it was a successful trip and
now we will be busied in filling the letters of applications to the relevant
commissions to get the financial assistance to the projects in hands.” Plans
for a trip to the United States are being prepared. It is hoped that the
possibility of making Mount Gerizim as an Island of Peace in the sea of
hatred and violence and developing it appropriately to be a center of peace
where the Samaritan people will flourish and everybody who wants peace will
be welcomed to stay and feel safe and peaceful. [A.B. News Services]
Photo of Samaritan Codex Fragment
The Schoyen Collection located largely in
Oslo and London comprises different types of manuscripts from throughout
whole world straddling over five thousand years. This, the largest private
manuscript collection formed in the 20th century, welcomes scholars
encouraging research.
Only ten percent
of the collection has been published at present-day. A complete catalogue
will soon be published upon completion.
In the Collection, is a Samaritan Torah
portion of Leviticus 13:56 to 15:15 in Samaritan square book script. The
scroll was written by Ab Hasta, son of Abnef Uscha in Ascolon, Israel in
1189. The Codex fragment was featured in the Maggs European Bulletin
13(1986):18 and the Maggs Cat. 1073 (1987). The vellum was recently displayed
at the Library of Law Faculty, University of Oslo, 29 July - 7 August 1998
for the XVI Congress of the International Organization for the study of the
Old Testament. A photo of the fragment can be seen at the Schoyen Collection
website under: 4.1.1. The Hebrew and Aramaic Bible http://www.nb.no/baser/schoyen/index.html
http://www.nb.no/baser/schoyen/4/4.1/411.html
MS 201.
66th International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
(IFLA) Council and General –
Annual Conference
Jerusalem, Israel, 13-18 August
The micrographic manuscript, now at the
Scriporium, disappears from view for over four centuries until it is found
recorded in David Solomon Sassoon's Descriptive Catalogue of the Hebrew and
Samaritan Manuscripts In the Sassoon Library, London. With Sassoon's Library
number 487 on the spine and his armorial book-plate, it was sold at the sale
of his Library which took place at Sotheby's Zurich, 5 November 1975 lot 7.
It was subsequently deposited at the British Library. The codex then turns up
as lot 71 at Sotheby's, London, 5 December 1989 sale of Hebrew Manuscripts
from the Tenth to the Fifteenth Century; The Property of the British Rail
Pension Fund. http://www.ifla.org/IV/ifla66/papers/082-141e.htm
Samaritan Manuscripts and an Inscription For Sale
Clive Farahar and Sophie Dupre, the owners
of the Samaritan Marble Inscription (the dedication stone formerly placed
over the doorway of an ancient Samaritan synagogue at Shechem), featured in past Samaritan Updates may
be contacted at: Clive Farahar and Sophie Dupre at their web site at http://www.farahardupre.co.uk/ or Farahar_Dupre@compuserve.com
The Het Oosters Antiquarium, of Leiden,
Neitherland, recently had for sale five Samaritan manuscripts. Upon
contacting the Antiquarium, they informed us that 3 books remained for sale
as of 4.8.2002. The books for sale were: Differentiations between Samaritan
and Jews, by Pinhas b. Yessaq b. Shalma (1907),
Book of Guiding
of the Principles of Reading by Abu Sa’id b. Abu-Elchasan b. Abu Sa’id (13th
century), andTargum of the Holy Torah by Abu ElBarakatt b. Sa’id ElBasri
ElSiriani (13th century). The two other books have been sold; an
excerpt from Kitab ElTibach by AbuElchasan b. Tabis (12th
century), and Book of Differentiations, part 2, by Munajja b. Sadaqa (12th
century). Email: smitskamp@oriental.demon.nl
website: www.oriental.demon.nl
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