'Consider themselves to be the true guardians of the Torah'
Ancient Samaritan oil lap discovered during conservation work on Mount Gerizim in Israel in 2022. (Photo courtesy Netanel Elimelech / Israel Nature and Parks Authority)
(JERUSALEM POST) — Though not actually Jewish, but practicing many Jewish rituals and traditions, the Samaritans consider themselves to be the true guardians of the Torah – the Book of the Law of Moses and of Israel.
The Samaritans claim descent from the ancient Israelites of Samaria, but their origins remain unclear, and there are several different versions.
Nonetheless, they have survived the vicissitudes of time, conflicts and assimilation, and today are the smallest of Israel's minorities, with a foot in both the Israeli and the Palestinian camps.
Most Israelis know very little if anything at all about the Samaritans, and people outside of Israel, who are not familiar with the Bible know nothing about them at all beyond the expression of the Good Samaritan.
The opportunity for Americans to learn more about the Samaritans comes by way of a comprehensive exhibition, guided tours, lectures and a film that is being seen and heard at the Museum of the Bible where the groundbreaking exhibition The Samaritans: A Biblical People opens on September 16.