MOUNT GERIZIM

ruins of the Samaritan Temple, Mount Gerizim, courtesy,
BiblicalArchaeology.org

Mount Gerizim is one of the highest points in Samaria at 2890 feet above sea level, and lies between Shechem (Nablus) on the west and the Arab settlement of Balata on the east. It is an important place of pilgrimage for the Samaritan community and has been so for roughly 3000 years.

After the Israelite conquest of the Land of Canaan, Mount Gerizim along with Shechem, became part of the tribal territory of Menasheh. Later, Joshua gathered the Israelite tribes at Shechem and designated to all assembled that Mount Gerizim was to be the mountain of Blessing while Mount Ebal, on the opposite end of the valley, was to be the mountain of Curses.

There is no concrete evidence when Mount Gerizim became a Samaritan center but what is certain is that some time during or after the Babylonian Captivity, it was indeed their holy place with a Samaritan Temple (now in ruins) containing what is thought to be the oldest Torah scroll in the world which is still used today. Pilgrimages to the mountain would take place every year by Samaritans throughout Judea and the surrounding territories, especially during Passover. It became a major event that has continued to this day. During the following centuries, the fortunes of the Samaritans in regards to Mount Gerizim often fluctuated between good and bad under the different ruling authorities of Judea at the time – Jews, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines. In the 6^th century, the Byzantine emperor Justinian built a castle on top of Mount Gerizim. An initial archaeological study postulated that this castle had utilized stones from an earlier structure on the site (probably the Samaritan temple).

Under early Arab rule beginning in the 7^th century, there was often persecution of Samaritans by the Arab Muslims and many times, the Arab authorities imposed prohibitions on religious practices, especially pilgrimages to Mt. Gerizim. But when the Fatimids took over the caliphate in 969, the situation improved as this dynasty tended to be more favorably disposed toward Jews and Samaritans.

Under Crusader rule, the Christian authorities actually treated the Samaritans well since they were portrayed positively in the New Testament. The Crusader period ended in 1291 and in the 14^th century, a Samaritan renaissance of sorts took place. The annual pilgrimages to Mount Gerizim attracted large gatherings and especially from the Samaritan centers of Gaza, Cairo, and Damascus. The religious rites on Gerizim became well known for containing the least amount of changes in the Samaritan liturgy. But with the mass aliyah to Shechem of the Damascus Samaritans in 1538 under their High Priest Pinhas VIII (?), his assistant Abdallah bin Ibrahim, also an accomplished writer, would compose many hymns in honor of these annual pilgrimages.

After the death of the high priest Shalmiah in 1624, the persecutions by local Arab Muslims against the Samaritans increased: houses and fields were plundered and many families were forced to convert to Islam for fear of their lives. In addition, access to Mt. Gerizim was forbidden. Consequently, the Samaritans were forced to hold the Passover sacrifice on the eastern slope of the mountain. Although the ban was eventually lifted, these prohibitions occurred from time to time – notably in 1780, and again at the beginning of the 19^th century. The latter ban lasted until 1820 due to the intervention of British diplomats with the Turks. Probably because of these constant prohibitions, the Samaritans became ever more jealous of their hold on the site. In 1838, the German Jewish traveler Louis Loewe, who served as secretary to Sir Moses Montefiore, had visited Shechem where he met the High Priest Shalma ben Tobia who told him, "We alone possess Mount Gerizim, and we alone offer sacrifices there".

Early in 1842, the Arabs, once again, banned the Samaritans from ascending Mount Gerizim on the grounds that they were considered to be atheists, illegal under Muslim law. Because of the activities of the British consulate in Jerusalem this newest ban was lifted – but only seven years later. By 1874, the surviving community was led by the high priest Yakub ben Aharon who reinforced the religious framework of Samaritan life in the hope of reviving the community. All their lands, riches, and property were taken from it, and the Samaritans remained in a dark ghetto, as it were, on the northern slope of Mt. Gerizim.

But pilgrimages to the mountain have continued uninterruptedly since then, during the British Mandate period after World War I, the succeeding Arab occupation after the War of Independence, and finally after Israel’s liberation of the area in 1967. In the 1980s, Jews returned to the area, adding to the Samaritan community, and established the town of Har Bracha located on the hilly area around Mount Gerizim. Previously, the town was established as a pioneer Nahal military outpost but was demilitarized when turned over for residential use on Israel’s Independence Day in 1983. The rapid expansion of Har Bracha is universally attributed to the Yeshivat Har Brakha, which was built in 1991, as well as its rosh yeshiva, Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, who is also the chief rabbi of Har Bracha. During the first and second intifadas, the Arab settlers of Shechem ethnically cleansed the city of its Samaritan inhabitants. As a result, the Israeli government built for them, the town of Kiryat Luza, adjacent to Mount Gerizim and across the way from Har Bracha. Today, the two towns are connected by a road. Har Bracha, has become a thriving town of almost 2700 and Mount Gerizim has remained the main Samaritan pilgrimage center of Israel, the annual Passover sacrifices having become a source of curiosity and spectating for people from all over Israel as well as for foreign tourists alike.

On the Jewish side, Har Bracha contains the following: Yeshivat Har Bracha, the Central Synagogue, the Lotus Pool, a book store, cosmetics store, and winery. On the Samaritan side, Mount Gerizim contains the following: the ruins of the Samaritan Temple, the Samaritan Museum, a visitors’ center, the Passover Sacrifice site, and a milling plant.