Levi ben Abisha ben Phinhas ben Yitzhaq
Encyclopedia
Levi ben Abisha ben Phinhas ben Yitzhaq; (1920–May 23, 2001), served as the Samaritan High Priest
from 1998 until his death. In his secular work prior to his retirement, he was chief clerk in the Nablus
bus company. Before and after his retirement from secular work he was a genial and well-known teacher. He was the first Samaritan
high priest to visit the United States. He petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court to grant Samaritan priests equality in law with rabbi
s; the petition was still pending at the time of his death. He lived in Nablus
in the West Bank
and is buried in the cemetery of Kiryat Luza
on Mount Gerizim
. He was succeeded as high priest by his second cousin Saloum Cohen
.
Samaritan High Priest
The Samaritan High Priest is the high priest of the Samaritan community in the Middle East.According to Samaritan tradition, the office has existed continuously since Aaron, the brother of Moses, and has been held by 132 people...
from 1998 until his death. In his secular work prior to his retirement, he was chief clerk in the Nablus
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
bus company. Before and after his retirement from secular work he was a genial and well-known teacher. He was the first Samaritan
Samaritan
The Samaritans are an ethnoreligious group of the Levant. Religiously, they are the adherents to Samaritanism, an Abrahamic religion closely related to Judaism...
high priest to visit the United States. He petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court to grant Samaritan priests equality in law with rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
s; the petition was still pending at the time of his death. He lived in Nablus
Nablus
Nablus is a Palestinian city in the northern West Bank, approximately north of Jerusalem, with a population of 126,132. Located in a strategic position between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, it is the capital of the Nablus Governorate and a Palestinian commercial and cultural center.Founded by the...
in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
and is buried in the cemetery of Kiryat Luza
Kiryat Luza
Kiryat Luza is a Samaritan village on Mount Gerizim near Nablus, West Bank. It is the last wholly Samaritan village in existence and contains 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...
on Mount Gerizim
Mount Gerizim
Mount Gerizim is one of the two mountains in the immediate vicinity of the West Bank city of Nablus , and forms the southern side of the valley in which Nablus is situated,...
. He was succeeded as high priest by his second cousin Saloum Cohen
Saloum Cohen
Saloum Cohen, also known as Shalom ben Amram ben Yitzhaq, , served as the Samaritan High Priest from 2001 until his death. He lived in Nablus in the West Bank and is buried in the cemetery of Kiryat Luza on Mount Gerizim....
.
Sources
- The (London) Independent, 4 June 2001.