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Samaritans Project

Center for Israel Studies

The Samaritans: A Biblical People  was a multi-media, interactive experience of the Samaritan Israelites, their world and their place in Western Civilization and Jewish History.  We assembled for the first time the most important artifacts preserved in museums and libraries the world over to illuminate this amazing history.  These included paintings, manuscripts, priceless books, photography, ritual objects and the most significant archaeological discoveries from Greece, Italy and Israel.  The connecting thread was a series of media installations and presentations that reflect the grandeur and complexities of the Samaritan experience, and its relevance to us today.  

The Samaritans: A Biblical People is the centerpiece of the Israelite Samaritan Project, which includes a full length documentary, scholarship and education.

 

The Samaritans: A Biblical People, Book Cover
Movie Poster

The Samaritans: A Biblical People Documentary

The first full length documentary about the lives of modern Samaritans!

Watch the

 

The Samaritans: A Biblical People Documentary

Samaritans on Mt. Gerizim celebrating the Passover

Exhibition

Our exhibition opened at the Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC (Fall 2022), and at Bibelhaus, Frankfurt (Spring 2023).  A smaller version is making its way to Oldenburg, Griefswald, Erfurt.

 

 

Exhibition

Samaritans Book Cover

The Samaritans: A Biblical People Book

 The Samaritans: A Biblical PeopleSteven  Fine, ed., (Brill, 2022).

To purchase  and use code 71599 for a 35% discount!

The Samaritans: A Biblical People Book

Samaritan Torah case reaching skyward from Mt. Gerizim. Original artwork by Mark Powall

Artists Group

Contemporary Jewish Artists on Samaritan Culture:

A Joint Project with the Jewish Art Salon

 

Artists Group

Movie Poster

The Samaritans: A Biblical People Documentary

The first full length documentary about the lives of modern Samaritans!

Watch the

 

The Samaritans: A Biblical People Documentary

Samaritans on Mt. Gerizim celebrating the Passover

Exhibition

Our exhibition opened at the Museum of the Bible, Washington, DC (Fall 2022), and at Bibelhaus, Frankfurt (Spring 2023).  A smaller version is making its way to Oldenburg, Griefswald, Erfurt.

 

 

Exhibition

Samaritans Book Cover

The Samaritans: A Biblical People Book

 The Samaritans: A Biblical PeopleSteven  Fine, ed., (Brill, 2022).

To purchase  and use code 71599 for a 35% discount!

The Samaritans: A Biblical People Book

Samaritan Torah case reaching skyward from Mt. Gerizim. Original artwork by Mark Powall

Artists Group

Contemporary Jewish Artists on Samaritan Culture:

A Joint Project with the Jewish Art Salon

 

Artists Group

Check out a video of the opening ceremony for the Israel premier of the documentary !

Premier!

 

 

The Samaritans: A Biblical People. The highly anticipated exhibit is now open at the in Washington D.C.!  The exhibit will run until January 1st, 2023.

Hear the from the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog , about the importance of this exhibition.

 

Reviews and Articles!

about what you can expect to learn and explore at the exhibit from the curator, Dr. Steven Fine, or read a of the exhibit by Menachem Wecker at the Religious News Service. 

a review from Amy Kronish!

Take a look at this from Dan Freidman in Forward!

Thank you to the for their extensive coverage!

For reviews in Hebrew:

Check out  and י !

Meet the Samaritans

Good Samaritan hospitals heal us and Good Samaritan laws protect do-gooders.  Samaritans appear in our holy texts— in the Bible, the Talmud and the Quran. Some Samaritans are good, some are bad, they are priests, business people, bankers, teachers and scholars.  We have all heard of the Samaritans, but who are they? Samaritans, like Jews, are Israelites.  They trace their lineage to the ancient biblical tribes of Levi and of the children of Joseph— Ephraim and Menashe.  They trace their lineage to the “lost” northern tribes of Israel.  

 

Samaritan child, Danko Arnon Archive, National Library of Israel

Samaritans call themselves the Shomrim, the guardians of the Torah.  They revere the Five Books of Moses, and strive to keep its commandments. Their holy mountain is Mt. Gerizim, the “blessed mountain” above modern Nablus.  On holidays the Samaritan community climbs its peak in prayer. On Passover every family sacrifices a sheep, as their ancestors have done, they believe, since the Exodus from Egypt.

Samaritan Priest and child with the Torah
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