Samaritans are the Smallest Religious Group in the Middle East
February 27, 2008
It is the story of a man attacked and robbed and left to die by the roadside. A priest and a Levite -- both respected members of society -- walked past him. The only person to come to his aid was someone from the small Samaritan sect.
From then on, the term “Good Samaritan” became a synonym for being helpful and a true neighbour. The descendants of Samaritans still live today in Israel and the West Bank. Numbering less than one thousand, they constitute the smallest religious group in the region and perhaps in the world.
Like Jews, Samaritans venerate the five books of Moses, but their worship has features from both Judaism and Islam. They still carry out animal sacrifices as mandated in the Old Testament. And perhaps most intriguing of all, some of their priests are also fortune tellers.
Report: Irris Makler