Levi Ben-Pinhas; High Priest of Samaritans

Levi Ben-Avishai Ben-Pinhas, the high priest of the tiny Samaritan community that traces its lineage back to biblical times and has followers in Israel and the Palestinian areas, died Wednesday. He was 82.

The community immediately named a successor, 79-year-old Yefet Shomroni, who will take office after the traditional 30 days of mourning.

The Samaritans number only about 650 people. About half of them live on Mt. Gerizim overlooking the Palestinian city of Nablus in the West Bank and the rest in the Israeli town of Holon, near Tel Aviv.

Throughout the years of Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the community has straddled the line. Most Samaritans carry Israeli identity cards, but some also hold positions in Palestinian Authority ministries. The new high priest Shomroni, also known by his Arabic name Saloum Samri, is a member of the Palestinian legislature.

The Samaritans claim descent from the people of the northern kingdom of Israel, which separated from the southern kingdom of Judea after the death of King Solomon, about 3,000 years ago.

Most of them speak an ancient Hebrew dialect, as well as modern Hebrew and Arabic. They are known to Christians mainly through the Parable of the Good Samaritan, who helped an injured stranger (Luke 10.30-37).

About 150 mourners attended Ben-Pinhas’ funeral at a cemetery Wednesday on Mt. Gerizim.

Ben-Pinhas was high priest for just over three years. As a young man he worked as a clerk in a Nablus bus company, but later he took up astrology, said a cousin, Hosni Samri.

“People would come and consult him about their problems and ask him to tell them what the future holds for them,” he said.

Ben-Pinhas is survived by a wife, a son, three daughters and three grandchildren.