Jewish Cemetery

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Location: Ir-Rinella, Kalkara.

The Kalkara Jewish cemetery is the oldest surviving Jewish burial ground in Malta. It measures approximately 9 metres by 12 metres and is 2.5 metres above the road level which indicates structural changes during the years. The cemetery was financed by the Livorno fund known as Chevrat Pidyon Shevuyim and it was established with the purpose of ransoming Jewish Slaves and their eventual burial, which comes after an application made by Agostino Formosa de Fremeaux. The entrance comprises of a narrow wooden door leading to a narrow staircase. Over the door one finds a Latin inscription which indicate that the cemetery officially opened in 1784 “This cemetery was established in 1784 by the leghorn fund for ransoming Hebrew slaves, at its own expense, for the burial of the dead of its race.” The original size of the cemetery was larger than it is today, but encroachment by its neighbours reduced its size. In the cemetery, today one finds twelve identified tombs, four unidentified ones, a tombstone, and various remnants which all date back to the 19th Century. In collaboration with Kottonera Foundation.

Iċ-ċimiterju Lhudi tal-Kalkara huwa l-eqdem ċimiterju Lhudi li għadu jeżisti f'Malta. Huwa madwar 9 metri bi 12-il metru u huwa 2.5 metri 'l fuq mil-livell tat-triq li jindika bidliet strutturali matul is-snin. Iċ-ċimiterju kien iffinanzjat mill-fond Livorno magħruf bħala Chevrat Pidyon Shevuyim u ġie stabbilit bl-iskop li jifdi Skjavi Lhud u d-difna eventwali tagħhom, li tiġi wara applikazzjoni magħmula minn Agostino Formosa de Fremeaux. Id-daħla tinkludi bieb dejjaq tal-injam li jwassal għal taraġ dejjaq. Fuq il-bieb wieħed isib skrizzjoni bil-Latin li tindika li ċ-ċimiterju nfetaħ uffiċjalment fl-1784 "Dan iċ-ċimiterju ġie stabbilit fl-1784 mill-fond leghorn għall-iskjavi tal-Ebrajk li fdew lura, bi spejjeż tiegħu, għad-difna tal-mejtin tar-razza tiegħu." Id-daqs oriġinali taċ-ċimiterju kien akbar milli hu llum, iżda l-indħil mill-ġirien tiegħu naqqas id-daqs tiegħu. Fiċ-ċimiterju, illum wieħed isib tnax-il oqbra identifikati, erba' oħrajn mhux identifikati, lapida, u diversi fdalijiet li kollha jmorru lura għas-Seklu 19. B’kollaborazzjoni mal-Fondazzjoni Kottonera.