‘The Jewish History of Magnificent Malta’, a two-hour documentary exploring Malta’s Jewish heritage, was aired on American entertainment TV network JLTV.

This documentary, aired on Sunday 12th July and hosted by Brad Pomerance, is part of JLTV’s award-winning global travel series ‘Air Land & Sea’,

“Who knew that the Maltese islands in the middle of the Mediterranean would be so full of Jewish history? We were completely blown away to actually see evidence of Jewish life in Malta dating back to the early centuries of the first millennia and so much more,” Brad Pomerance said.

“It was abundantly clear that the Maltese are so proud to showcase and promote this Jewish heritage as part of Malta’s 7,000 years of history,” he continued.

‘The Jewish History of Magnificent Malta’ is the product of a collaboration between the Malta Tourism Authority and JLTV.

“Malta is very proud to introduce this Jewish Heritage Malta experience in such depth through the lens of JLTV to its large North American audience,” Michelle Buttigieg, MTA representative North America said.

“For the US and Canada, Malta is still an undiscovered gem, and even more so, its Jewish heritage. What is good to keep in mind for Jewish travellers is that there are now direct flights from Tel Aviv to Malta, meaning that they can now combine their visit to Israel with a trip to Malta,” she continued.

In the aforementioned episode, Brad Pomerance and his crew explored some historical proof of Jewish presence dating back to the turn of the Common Era. The sites explored include the following:

• St Paul’s Grotto – where St Paul was imprisoned in 60 AD prior to his execution in Rome
• St Paul’s Catacombs – offers indisputable evidence of Jewish burials in Malta
• Comino – where the Pope exiled Rabbi Abraham Abulafia in the 13th century
• Mdina – was home to a Jewish community making up almost a third of the total population in the 1400s
• The Cathedral Archives – maintains historical documents relating to Jews impacted by Malta’s Roman Inquisition
• The National Library – keeps bona fide historical records relating to Jewish enslavement in Malta
• The Inquisitor’s Palace – houses an Inquisitional Tribunal, Inquisition Torture Chamber, and Inquisition Prison Cells
• The Jewish Sallyport – where Jewish slaves entered after their capture on the High Seas
• Jewish Cemeteries – including Kalkara Cemetery, Ta’ Braxia Cemetery, and Marsa Cemetery

This episode is the first of four ‘Air Land & Sea’ episodes featuring Malta. Later on in 2022, JLTV will be presenting ‘The History of Magnificent Malta’, ‘Malta’s Modern Jewish Community’, and ‘Malta’s Movers & Shakers’.

JLTV / YouTube