WThe Samaritans are an ethnoreligious group originating from the Israelites of the Ancient Near East.
WAabed-El ben Asher ben Matzliach is the current Samaritan High Priest. He assumed office on April 19, 2013. According to Samaritan tradition, he is the 132nd high priest since Aaron and in accordance with Samaritan custom, upon his death, the office automatically transfers to the oldest surviving descendant of Ithamar. Aabed-El is married and has two sons and two daughters.
WAl-Khadra Mosque also known as Hizn Sidna Yaq'ub Mosque is a mosque situated on the lower slopes of Mount Gerizim in the southwestern quarter of the Old City of Nablus in the West Bank. The mosque is rectangular in shape, and its minaret rises 30 meters (98 ft).
WKiryat Luza is a Samaritan village on Mount Gerizim near Nablus, West Bank under joint Israeli and Palestinian control. It is the last wholly Samaritan village, half of their population living there. The village houses the museum of the Samaritans. Kiryat Luza is adjacent to the Israeli settlement of Har Bracha. Until the 1980s, most of the Samaritans resided in Nablus below Mount Gerizim. Some Samaritans relocated to Kiryat Luza as a result of violence during the First Intifada. The Israel Defense Forces maintains a presence in the area.
WThe Samaritan revolts were a series of insurrections in Palaestina Prima province, launched by the Samaritans against the Byzantine Empire. The revolts were marked by great violence on both sides, and their brutal suppression at the hands of the Byzantines and their Ghassanid allies severely reduced the Samaritan population. The events irreversibly shifted the demographics of the region, making the Christians the only dominant group in the Palaestina Prima province for many decades onward.
WThe Samaritan religion, also known as Samaritanism, is the national religion of the Samaritans. The Samaritans adhere to the Samaritan Torah, which they believe is the original, unchanged Torah, as opposed to the Torah used by Jews. In addition to the Samaritan Torah, Samaritans also revere their version of the Book of Joshua and recognize some Biblical figures, such as Eli.
WSofi Tsedaka, also known by her post-conversion name Sofi Sarah, is an Israeli actress, singer, television presenter and politician.