Samaritans, Nearly Extinct, Look to the Ukraine to Survive
"Even the most conservative of Mount Gerizim's gossipers can't hide their delight at seeing their numbers grow. It is, the local residents say, the first 'new Samaritan' born in 3,600 years."
(Mount Gerizim, West Bank)—The Good Samaritan. The Woman at the Well. Both the Old and the New Testament refer to the Samaritans, and Jesus Himself used them to make very graphic points. (Graphic: Globe and Mail)
Where are they today? According to a report in The Globe and Mail, they still live near Mount Gerizim (their "holy" mountain overlooking the town of Nablus), but their population has dwindled to only about 700. The primary cause is due to the fact that they have never strayed from their location, and their ancient tradition has forbidden them to marry outside of their community.
Most disconcerting to the Samaritans, however, has been the drastic increase of birth defects due to the resultant inbreeding. One health care worker estimated that upwards of 80% of the Samaritans were handicapped in some way. It had become so serious, in fact, that recently a Samaritan high priest allowed one of their residents to travel to the Ukraine to find a Jewish, non-Samaritan, wife.
The "experiment" has proved successful so far, in that the couple recently gave birth to a healthy child. Noted the report: "Even the most conservative of Mount Gerizim's gossipers can't hide their delight at seeing their numbers grow. It is, the local residents say, the first 'new Samaritan' born in 3,600 years."
To read more about the modern Samaritans, who are neither Jewish nor Palestinian, and how they are struggling to survive, click on the link provided.
