Samaritan brides again

MORE ON THE UKRAINIAN-SAMARITAN BRIDES:

How Ukrainian women saved the Samaritans of Mount Gerizim
The Samaritans of Mount Gerizim were a rapidly dwindling religious community facing extinction. Then a handful of young Ukrainian brides made the journey to the West Bank, bringing with them fresh hope

Harriet Sherwood
The Guardian, Monday 11 February 2013

For decades, it seemed as though one of the world's smallest religious communities was doomed. Dwindling and insular, the Samaritans of Mount Gerizim were struggling to survive as inbreeding produced generation after generation of children with serious disabilities on an isolated hilltop in the biblical landscape of the West Bank.

But the threat of extinction is now receding after the deployment of the twin weapons of advanced medical science and internet marriage agencies to import brides from Ukraine. In fact, the community of four extended families totalling 320 people is now looking forward to rapid growth.

"We're hoping our numbers will reach 10,000 in 10 years," jokes high priest Aharon Ben-Av Chisda, with more optimism than realistic prediction. "Before, we were worried about the future of our community. Now we have hope."

Much of this hope stems from five young Ukrainian women who have injected fresh blood to Mount Gerizim after swapping a life of bleak prospects, dismal housing and badly paid employment for space, security and strict observance of the religious dictates of the ancient Samaritan community.

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Earlier coverage indicated that eleven Ukrainian women had recently joined the community.