Maltese Jew

The Jewish presence in Malta is ancient and left its mark on the islands over many centuries. In 1492, however, the Jews were expelled, and for more than three centuries organized Jewish life practically ceased to exist.

The community only became re-established during the British period, from the early nineteenth century onward. In 1846, a rabbi from Tripoli was invited to serve the congregation, and the synagogue in Valletta became the center of communal life. At the end of the twentieth century, the old premises were replaced by a new synagogue in Ta' Xbiex, near the capital, which today houses the group's religious and social life.

The life of a Maltese Jew is divided between two belongings: the society of the islands, with its language, its climate and its local feasts, and the Jewish community, with its own rhythm. Many work in ordinary professions, such as commerce, services and the liberal professions, and live peacefully alongside neighbors of Catholic majority. Families are the foundation for passing on the faith, and marriages within the community are valued, although the small numbers make the choice a delicate one.

The calendar organizes the year: the weekly Shabbat, the great feasts such as Passover, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and rites of passage, such as the bar mitzvah. The synagogue is a place of gathering, teaching and mutual support. Because the community is small, many know one another by name, and helping someone who arrives from outside or who is in need is part of what it means to belong to the group.

The Maltese Jews follow Judaism, believing in one God, creator and deliverer, who made a covenant with Abraham and gave the Torah to Israel. The weekly reading of the sacred texts, prayer in Hebrew and the observance of Shabbat give shape to their faith. In so small a community, the level of practice varies: some families are very faithful to the traditions, while others live out their Jewish identity chiefly as a cultural and family heritage.

To be Jewish, here, is at once a religion and belonging to a people. For this reason, faith is tied to the memory of earlier generations, to the language of the rites and to the care taken to preserve what has survived centuries of interruption. For many, abandoning this heritage would feel like breaking with their ancestors, and any conversation about Jesus must be held with great respect for this history.

Maltese, the everyday language of this community, has the complete Bible translated, which puts Scripture within reach of those who read in the language of the islands. In religious life, however, Hebrew holds the central place: it is in Hebrew that the Torah and the prayers are read, and many encounter the sacred text mainly through the synagogue. What is lacking is material designed for this audience, presenting the New Testament with sensitivity to those who grew up hearing the Scriptures of Israel.

For the Maltese Jew, faith is inseparable from the identity of the people, and speaking of Jesus can sound like abandoning the community and the ancestors. The memory of centuries in which Christianity was the dominant religion, and the expulsion of 1492, leave a natural sensitivity toward any call to conversion. Added to this is the small size of the group: the pressure to preserve what remains makes the community cautious, and there are very few Christians of Jewish origin who could be a bridge of trust.

The first need is for true friendships. In a small and cautious community, trust is built slowly, and Maltese Christians have the opportunity to walk alongside their Jewish neighbors with respect, without haste and with no interest other than mutual care.

There is also a need for Bible materials in Maltese and in Hebrew that present Jesus as the Messiah of the Scriptures of Israel, in clear language that is sensitive to Jewish history. Finally, patient workers are lacking, people who know Jewish culture and feasts and are able to listen before speaking. And whoever comes to believe needs a welcoming fellowship that helps them follow Jesus without breaking with their people.