Nadene Goldfoot
The history of the small Jewish Community of Malta goes back to the arrival of the Semitic Phoenician settlers almost three thousand five hundred years ago. It is believed that they were accompanied by Israelite mariners from the seafaring tribes of Zebulon-6th son of Jacob and Leah, associated with trade; and Asher-8th son of Jacob and the 2nd of his concubine, Zilpah; known for his fertile territory from Galilee to Carmel..
The first Jew known from the (New Testament bible) to have set foot on Malta was Paul of Tarsus, whose ship foundered there in 62 CE. Paul went on to introduce Christianity to the island population. Paul the Apostle, commonly known as Saint Paul and also known by his Hebrew name Saul of Tarsus, was an apostle who taught the gospel of Christ to the first-century world. He was born in Tarsus, Turkey.
Paul persecuted some of the early disciples of Jesus, possibly Hellenised diaspora Jews converted to Christianity, in the area of Jerusalem prior to his own conversion.
THE DISCOVERY OF A CATACOMB WITH THE SYMBOL OF THE MENORAH ATTESTED THAT JEWS WERE IN MALTA IN ROMAN TIMES. THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A COMMUNITY UNDER ARAB RULE (870-1090) AND IN 1240 THERE WERE 25 JEWISH FAMILIES THERE AND EIGHT IN THE NEIGHBORING ISLAND OF GOZO. DURING THE MIDDLE AGES THE TWO ISLANDS WERE PART OF THE KINGDOM OF SICILY, AND A GREAT DEAL IS KNOWN OF THEIR HISTORY FROM MATERIALS PRESERVED IN THE SICILIAN ARCHIVES.
Jews were in the Mediterranean islands of Malta and their neighbor island of Gozo during the Middle Ages: the period of European history from the fall of the Roman Empire in the West (5th century) to the fall of Constantinople (1453), or, more narrowly, from c. 1100 to 1453.
These communities came to an end when Jews were expelled from Sicily, also a Mediterranean Island, in 1492. Jews lived in Sicily in the 1st century BCE. They had an active settlement there in the 6th century, continuing through the 9th and 11th centuries of Arab occupation. They fared best under Norman rulers. The population of 40,000 existed at the end of the Middle Ages. The Inquisition was introduced in 1479. Sicily was on the list to expulse Jews in 1492. Spain expelled their 180,000 Jews in 1492, so many were searching for other places of refuge. Sicily's Jewish exile took place by 1497. Most of the exiles went to the Italian mainland or the Levant. The kingdom of Naples expelled Jews by 1541. The surprise to those in power is that they found themselves trying to attract Jewish settlers again in 1745. They were unsuccessful.
After 1530, the island of Malta was handed over to the Knights of St. John (The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller, the Knights of Malta, or the Order of Saint John, was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order.) , many Jewish prisoners captured in raids on Turkish shipping and sea-ports were taken to Malta where they were kept until ransomed.
For a long time, a community of slaves with its synagogue and burial-ground, was organized by the Christian representative of the FRATERNITY FOR RANSOMING PRISONERS, who were in Venice.
At the close of the 18th century, voluntary immigrants began to establish themselves on Malta, and there was still a small Sephardi community numbering 60 as of 1990.
Judaism, along with Hinduism, is recognised as a cult but not as a religion in Malta. In 2010, Hindu and Jewish groups urged Pope Benedict XVI to intervene to ensure that Malta treats all religions equally before the law., but the Pope did not intervene. Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, and Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich, a Jewish leader in California and Nevada in the US, said in a statement in Nevada that he believed the Catholic Church in Malta was not serious about sharing the minority religious viewpoint, and that he was disappointed that they did not want to discuss issues of religious equality with minority religions and denominations.
According to Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Malta is home to between 100 and 300 Jews. Largely of Sephardic origin, the Maltese Jews live in harmony on the island and there has been a recent resurgence in the practice of Jewish life. The Maltese Jewish community is represented by the Jewish Community of Malta (JCM) – the Maltese affiliate of the World Jewish Congress.
Resource: The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
https://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/about/communities/MT
https://dbs.bh.org.il/place/malta?gclid=Cj0KCQjw1qL6BRCmARIsADV9Jtb8ugv3liiv31exUzCh86Hn-CaHISGoLWhi2pUm7ktN_k0qXTPQjiUaAh27EALw_wcB
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Malta
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/malta-virtual-jewish-history-tour
The history of the small Jewish Community of Malta goes back to the arrival of the Semitic Phoenician settlers almost three thousand five hundred years ago. It is believed that they were accompanied by Israelite mariners from the seafaring tribes of Zebulon-6th son of Jacob and Leah, associated with trade; and Asher-8th son of Jacob and the 2nd of his concubine, Zilpah; known for his fertile territory from Galilee to Carmel..
The first Jew known from the (New Testament bible) to have set foot on Malta was Paul of Tarsus, whose ship foundered there in 62 CE. Paul went on to introduce Christianity to the island population. Paul the Apostle, commonly known as Saint Paul and also known by his Hebrew name Saul of Tarsus, was an apostle who taught the gospel of Christ to the first-century world. He was born in Tarsus, Turkey.
Paul persecuted some of the early disciples of Jesus, possibly Hellenised diaspora Jews converted to Christianity, in the area of Jerusalem prior to his own conversion.
THE DISCOVERY OF A CATACOMB WITH THE SYMBOL OF THE MENORAH ATTESTED THAT JEWS WERE IN MALTA IN ROMAN TIMES. THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A COMMUNITY UNDER ARAB RULE (870-1090) AND IN 1240 THERE WERE 25 JEWISH FAMILIES THERE AND EIGHT IN THE NEIGHBORING ISLAND OF GOZO. DURING THE MIDDLE AGES THE TWO ISLANDS WERE PART OF THE KINGDOM OF SICILY, AND A GREAT DEAL IS KNOWN OF THEIR HISTORY FROM MATERIALS PRESERVED IN THE SICILIAN ARCHIVES.
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| Mikvah (Ritual Bath) in Sicily requirement for Jewish Religion |
These communities came to an end when Jews were expelled from Sicily, also a Mediterranean Island, in 1492. Jews lived in Sicily in the 1st century BCE. They had an active settlement there in the 6th century, continuing through the 9th and 11th centuries of Arab occupation. They fared best under Norman rulers. The population of 40,000 existed at the end of the Middle Ages. The Inquisition was introduced in 1479. Sicily was on the list to expulse Jews in 1492. Spain expelled their 180,000 Jews in 1492, so many were searching for other places of refuge. Sicily's Jewish exile took place by 1497. Most of the exiles went to the Italian mainland or the Levant. The kingdom of Naples expelled Jews by 1541. The surprise to those in power is that they found themselves trying to attract Jewish settlers again in 1745. They were unsuccessful.
After 1530, the island of Malta was handed over to the Knights of St. John (The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller, the Knights of Malta, or the Order of Saint John, was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order.) , many Jewish prisoners captured in raids on Turkish shipping and sea-ports were taken to Malta where they were kept until ransomed.
For a long time, a community of slaves with its synagogue and burial-ground, was organized by the Christian representative of the FRATERNITY FOR RANSOMING PRISONERS, who were in Venice.
At the close of the 18th century, voluntary immigrants began to establish themselves on Malta, and there was still a small Sephardi community numbering 60 as of 1990.
Judaism, along with Hinduism, is recognised as a cult but not as a religion in Malta. In 2010, Hindu and Jewish groups urged Pope Benedict XVI to intervene to ensure that Malta treats all religions equally before the law., but the Pope did not intervene. Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, and Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich, a Jewish leader in California and Nevada in the US, said in a statement in Nevada that he believed the Catholic Church in Malta was not serious about sharing the minority religious viewpoint, and that he was disappointed that they did not want to discuss issues of religious equality with minority religions and denominations.
According to Hebrew University demographer Sergio DellaPergola’s “World Jewish Population, 2016,” Malta is home to between 100 and 300 Jews. Largely of Sephardic origin, the Maltese Jews live in harmony on the island and there has been a recent resurgence in the practice of Jewish life. The Maltese Jewish community is represented by the Jewish Community of Malta (JCM) – the Maltese affiliate of the World Jewish Congress.
Resource: The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
https://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/about/communities/MT
https://dbs.bh.org.il/place/malta?gclid=Cj0KCQjw1qL6BRCmARIsADV9Jtb8ugv3liiv31exUzCh86Hn-CaHISGoLWhi2pUm7ktN_k0qXTPQjiUaAh27EALw_wcB
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Malta
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/malta-virtual-jewish-history-tour
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