ISRAEL: WEST BANK: SAMARITANS HOLD ANNUAL PASSOVER CEREMONY скачать в хорошем качестве

ISRAEL: WEST BANK: SAMARITANS HOLD ANNUAL PASSOVER CEREMONY

(21 Apr 1997) Natural Sound Samaritans living near the West Bank town of Nablus held their annual Passover ceremony on Sunday. An essential part of the Samaritans' ritual is choosing sheep for sacrifice. The leaders of the sect wear traditional white robes and lead a procession to the sacrificial site. The Samaritans held their annual Passover ceremony on Sunday, one day before the Jewish Passover began. Wearing their distinctive white robes, leaders of the community took part in a traditional sheep sacrifice. The Samaritans are a sect whose followers broke off from Judaism 28-hundred years ago. Numbering six-hundred, they now live in Holon, a Tel Aviv suburb, and here, near Nablus, the West Bank's largest city. Descended from the ancient Israelite tribes of Menashe and Efraim, the group broke off from Judaism in the 8th century B-C. The Samaritans practise many of the same religious rituals as Jews but they have adopted some Islamic beliefs and customs -- such as sacrificing sheep. Although many have married Israelis and Palestinians, neither community accepts them -- most Jews see them as heretics and Muslims view them as infidels. At their height in the fourth century, Samaritans numbered about half a (m) million, but their numbers have dwindled since due to persecution and assimilation. The festival of Passover commemorates the Jews' exodus from slavery under the Pharaohs and the beginning of Jewish nationhood. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...