Which community still performs a Passover sacrifice on Mount Gerizim?

The Samaritans still perform a Passover sacrifice on Mount Gerizim. Their observance preserves a ritual described in the Torah that Jewish communities no longer perform after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

For the Samaritan community, Passover is a pilgrimage festival centered on Gerizim, which Samaritans regard as their holiest mountain and the place chosen by God for worship. The ceremony involves slaughtering sheep, marking participants with blood, and roasting the animals for a communal meal.

The ritual follows the Passover instructions in Exodus: the meat is eaten with unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and the meal takes place around midnight. Samaritan matzah is traditionally homemade and may look more like a thin, pancake-shaped bread than the familiar packaged crackers used by many Jews.

Samaritan Passover differs from Jewish Passover in more than the sacrifice. The Samaritan calendar can place the observance about a month later, and their Passover is followed by six days of Unleavened Bread, making a seven-day festival overall. The community is small, with important centers near Nablus and in Holon.