Shavuot, Samaritan-Style

From: The New York Jewish Week | Date: June 29, 2007| Author: Lipman, Steve | Copyright information

Five weeks after the Jewish world celebrated the Festival of Weeks, the Samaritans celebrated theirs.

On Sunday, Shavuot on the lunar calendar of the Samaritans - descendants of Jewish tribes exiled from the Holy Land nearly three millennia ago - several scores of members of the extant group made their annual pilgrimage to Mount Gerizim, their holy mountain near Nablus in the West Bank.

The Samaritans mark Shavuot, like Passover and Sukkot, as a seven-day hol...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles from HighBeam Research

Passover, Samaritan Style
The New York Jewish Week ; Mount Gerizim, in the northern West Bank halfway between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, holds a special place in Jewish tradition. It was the site where half of the biblical tribes were commanded to pronounce the blessings upon the Children of Israel after Joshua led them into the
Dwindling Samaritans fear Israeli-PLO peace could wipe them out.(Originated from Knight-Ridder Newspapers)
Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service ; MOUNT GERIZIM, West Bank _ Two thousand years after the biblical story of the Good Samaritan who tended to a traveler beaten by brigands, the Samaritans themselves are looking for a good turn. Across the centuries, the Samaritans have outlasted wave after wave of conquering armies, clinging
Middle East: Samaritans held to ransom in battle for survival
The Independent - London ; Two years ago, ancient scrolls of the Samaritans - the tiny community which claims descent from the ancient Kingdom of Israel - were stolen. The thieves want $1m for their return. Patrick Cockburn in Jerusalem says the theft has exacerbated the sense of vulnerability of the 2,500-year- old sect. It
West Bank Samaritans Caught in the Middle; Palestinian Uprising Causes Special Problems
The Washington Post ; The Samaritans, known mainly for Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan, use a Hebrew saying to describe their lives in the midst of the Palestinian uprising against Israeli rule. They say it's like being caught "between a hammer and an anvil." Americans would call it trapped between a rock and a
Samaritans Face Loss of Population.
Israel Faxx ; By Jim Teeple (VOA-Jerusalem) There are few communities in the world more ancient than the Samaritans. For centuries, the Samaritans have lived in isolation. But now as their numbers diminish, some are looking to the outside world to replenish their numbers. For nearly 3,000 years, Samaritans have
Samaritans straddle Arab and Israeli cultures
The Record (Bergen County, NJ) ; MICHELE CHABIN, Religion News Service The Record (Bergen County, NJ) 06-10-2004 Samaritans straddle Arab and Israeli cultures By MICHELE CHABIN, Religion News Service Date: 06-10-2004, Thursday Section: RELIGION Edtion: All Editions ...
Samaritans Cling Fast to Mountaintop;Tiny Ethnic Group Holds To Its Old Traditions, Too
The Washington Post ; The high priest of the world's 560 remaining Samaritans closed his eyes, tilted his head slightly heavenward and chanted a short prayer of thanksgiving, a prayer that has not changed in 2,500 years. Raising his arms in supplication, the high priest, Yosef ab-Chisda Cohen, 73, wearing the
PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY FACES TEST ON MINORITY POLICY SAMARITANS CHALLENGE PLAN FOR CELL PHONE TOWER NEAR HOLY VILLAGE.(News)
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Seattle, WA) ; For Samaritans, the prospect of a cellular-phone transmitter towering over their holy mountaintop village was a simple case of Not in My Back Yard. An ugly device that some believe to be a cause of cancer was the last thing this ancient people wanted next to their homes. A demonstration last week
A MOMENT IN A PHOTO
Chicago Jewish Star ; ANOTHER KIND OF PASSOVER On April 11 at sunset, the Samaritan community - some 700 strong - held a unique Passover sacrifice service on Mount Gerizim, near Nablus on the West Bank (where most of them live). Sheep are ritually slaughtered (above) and then, after preparation, cooked in deep pits. The
Samaritans at sunrise
The Independent - London ; Members of the ancient Samaritan community pray during the pilgrimage for the holy day of the Tabernacles, or Sukkot, at the religion's holiest site on the top of Mount Gerizim near the West Bank town of Nablus, early yesterday morning. According to tradition, the Samaritans are descendants of Jews