Jun-2013
Mignews.com published photos from Samaritans Festival
Mignews.com has published my picture story from the Mount Herizim on the Samaritan’s night prayer.
All the Samaritans in the world (there are only around 900 of them, and all of them live in Israel) gathered to celebrate the holiday of Shavuot for the mount Gerizim that is sacred for them. As the calendars of Jews and Samaritans are different, Jews have forgotten already about the holiday cakes that they ate, and for Samaritans the party is still going on.
Thrice a year Samaritans ascend the Mount Gerizim (just like Jews in the time of the Temple ascended the Temple Mount in Jerusalem) to recite the special sunrise prayer and get the blessing of the High Priest. So on Sunday hundreds of men in the festive white clothing went up to the mountain top covered in fog above the flaming city of Schem in order to rise the ancient Torah scroll to the clouds and say ‘Hear Israel!’.
By Einat Klein.