The Samaritans — who now number fewer than 1,000 — are an ethnoreligious group originating from the ancient Israelites. In Israel, they are concentrated in the city of Holon, and in the West Bank on Mount Gerizim near Nablus. Samaritans claim descent from northern Israelite tribes who were not deported by the Neo-Assyrian Empire after the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel. They believe that Samaritanism is the true religion of the ancient Israelites, preserved by those who remained in the Land of Israel during the Babylonian captivity.
— Wikipedia
Quote: “So it goes in Al Tor, a five-street village, known as Kiryat Luza in Hebrew, whose beige houses are home to some of the last members of the Samaritan religion, an ancient offshoot of the Israelite faith. Their unique Samaritan identity — not Muslim, not Christian, but not quite Jewish, either — allows them to drift, sometimes uneasily, between Israeli and Palestinian societies.”
— The New York Times
Learn more about the Samaritans from Wikipedia. ►
Watch “Who Are the Samaritans?” [20:44]. ►
Watch “The Samaritan community in Holon and on Mount Grezim” [14:23]. ►
Watch “Dying Out: The Last Of The Samaritan Tribe | Full Documentary” [22:30]. ►
Photo: The Pittsburg Jewish Chronicle — The Times of Israel
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