THE LAST ISRAEUTISH BLOOD SACRIFICE 



feet, having discarded their prayer slip- 

 pers. 



While witnessing this ceremony we 

 were impressed by the striking resem- 

 blance to the Moslem garb and posture 

 during prayer. The clothing of the Sa- 

 maritan on this occasion is, in the main, 

 white, the outside garment being a jubbie 

 made of muslin, identical in cut with that 

 worn by Mohammedan religious sheiks 

 and by the old-style city Moslems, who 

 happily are not adopting western ideas 

 and modes of clothing. Around a dome- 

 shaped fez the priest winds a white tur- 

 ban, sometimes embroidered in amber 

 silk. 



The older men of the laity use the same 

 turban, with the customary flat-topped 

 fez, while the young men and boys, 

 like the Mohammedan youths, wear no 

 turbans and are usually clad in white 

 shirts and drawers. The Samaritans, ex- 

 cept when in prayer, wear deep wine- 

 colored turbans, as the result of an edict 

 of one of the caliphs, to distinguish them 

 from their Mohammedan neighbors, for 

 originally they wore white .and were often 

 mistaken for Moslem sheiks learned in 

 the Koran. Similarly, the Jews formerly 

 used black as a distinguishing hue. 



Before all prayers, the Samaritan goes 

 through prescribed ablutions, washing 

 with water three times each the hands, 

 mouth, nose, face, ears, and feet, in this 

 order, and, like the Moslem, he spreads 

 the prayer cloth, which in some instances 

 has the -mihrab design. 



FACING THE HOLY OF HOLIES 



Now all have congregated. The vener- 

 able high priest, Yakoub (Jacob), feeble 

 and infirm, clad in a pale-green jubbie, 

 takes his place in front of the congrega- 

 tion. The two second priests, Ishak 

 (Isaac) and Tewfik, stand slightly behind 

 the high priest. Then come in rows the 

 elders according to rank. Now all the 

 males of the community are present, the 

 smallest boys lining up at right angles to 

 the foremost ranks. 



On every hand the walls and terraces 

 are jammed with onlookers, mostly boys 

 and youths of Nablus. 



Facing the holy rock on the crest east- 

 ward, the worshipers now bow to; the 

 earth in prayer, for the Samaritans al- 



ways face their Holy of Holies wherever 

 they are. 



The service begins with a prayer writ- 

 ten some seven centuries ago by the priest 

 Hassan el Suri. As it is repeated in con- 

 cert, the rows of the older men and the 

 priests kneel, or rather sit upon their 

 heels, with hands on the knees or out- 

 stretched to heaven whenever any peti- 

 tion is asked. They bow their heads in 

 unison, touching their foreheads to the 

 ground. Some of the younger men stand- 

 ing behind, also with outstretched hands, 

 join in the prayer. Throughout the serv- 

 ice it is most interesting to watch the tiny 

 little fellows, each beside his parent, while 

 all follow in the repetition with as much 

 earnestness as the grown-ups and entirely 

 unconscious of their surroundings. 



Simultaneously with the beginning of 

 the service the sacrificial lambs have been 

 driven into the inclosure and wander 

 about at will, grazing upon the few tufts 

 of green or treading upon the high priest's 

 prayer rug till driven off. 



The prayer is ended with a loud Amen ! 

 Whereupon all rise and remain perfectly 

 erect, while in silence they repeat another 

 prayer, called "Akid el Niyeh," a medi- 

 tation which denotes the consecration of 

 their souls to prayer. It consists of re- 

 peating the five articles of their creed — 

 belief in God, in Moses, the Pentateuch, 

 Mount Gerizim, and the Day of Judg- 

 ment. 



This and the story of creation precede 

 all prayers. When ended a hymn is sung 

 in praise of Yahweh, the little fellows 

 stretching their mouths to their utmost 

 capacity, while the older leaders, turning 

 about from time to time, prompt and en- 

 courage the others to more fervent utter- 

 ances. All these prayers, readings, and 

 hymns are, of course, in the Samaritan 

 Hebrew, the oldest form of that language 

 in use. 



Next, from the hand-written Penta- 

 teuch which each carries, they read in 

 unison 21 selections, in which Abraham, 

 Isaac, and Jacob are mentioned ("in-mem- 

 ory of the fathers"). During the read- 

 ing each time God's name is mentioned 

 the men stroke their beards downward 

 thrice. Likewise whenever passages are 

 recounted enjoining them to remember 

 their God, they bow, swinging the body 



