"Irene Shaland takes you through the island treasures of the Mediterranean, a part of the ancient and modern Jewish world few of us know. This informative and scholarly book will make you want to start packing!" –Corinne Joy Brown, multi-award winning author and Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies editor HaLapid. Whether you are planning a trip to Malta and Corsica, or just love reading about Jewish communities in the most unlikely and exotic places on earth, this book is for you. Richly illustrated with 186 gorgeous, full-color photos and 12 maps, this guidebook is packed with historical and practical information and: · Illuminates 7,000 years of Malta’s historic past and its amazing present. Reveals Maltese Jewish story from 3,000 years ago when Israelites came to Malta—to the arrival of the Biblical Paul in the 1st century CE—through the dark times of Jewish slavery at the hands of the Knights of St. John’s in the 16th century—to today’s blossoming Jewish community. Did you know that Malta was the only country that admitted Jews without visas during the Holocaust? · Conveys the Jewish story of Corsica within the context of the island’s history and geography. Did you know that in 1763, Corsica was the first country to proclaim equality for the Jews, ahead of the U.S. and France? Do you want to know how the secret power of Omerta (the Mafia’s code of silence) saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust? · Serves as a practical field guide to Jewish-related sites throughout Malta and Corsica. This guidebook is your best friend when planning your trip and when you arrive at your destination. You will know which sites to visit and how to find them. You will also learn about typical food that reflects the history of each island. Happy reading and traveling!