Maaloula latest

MODERN ARAMAIC WATCH: This war-torn village is fighting to keep Christ’s language alive. Home to some of the last speakers of Aramaic, Maaloula was attacked in Syria’s civil war. Its residents are determined to rebuild–and preserve their mother tongue from extinction (Ryan Biller, National Geographic).

Poor Maaloula (Ma'aloula, Malula, Maalula - etc!) has been through a lot. PaleoJudaica has been following the fate of this Syrian city, where Aramaic is still spoken, for more than 20 years. Its situation is already delicate with the fall of Assad and the new al-Sharaa-led transitional government. I hope it and its people stay safe during the current war. They are not in the midst of the action, but they are not all that far away from it.

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