Maccabi Tel Aviv is about to head to Malta for their second round Champions League qualifying match against Hibernians. Here is a few things you need to know about Malta
Malta, Malta
Malta is located in the Mediterranean Ocean just south of Italy and consists of three islands, Malta, Gozo and Comino. The country gained independence from Britain in 1964 and today has roughly 400,000 inhabitants, almost as many as the whole city of Tel Aviv. After joining the European Union in 2004 Malta changed its currency from the Lira to the Euro in 2008.
A bit of History
The two official languages of Malta are Maltese and English. Maltese is a combination of Italian and Arabic as the roots of Malta come from the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta. After being forced to leave Jerusalem due to the loss of territories in the Holy Land, the order then went to Rhodes and finally landed up in Malta in the year 1530. Malta is a Roman Catholic country and there are many historical and beautiful churches that are located on the island.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwfxAP2YL8c
Hollywood
The movie "Popeye" was filmed in Malta and to this day there is a park called "Popeye Village" where you can visit the movie sets and reenact Robin Williams in his first movie part! Other movies including Gladiator, Troy, Midnight Express and The Da Vinci Code were all filmed on the island.
Jewish Community of Malta
There are roughly 100 Jews living in Malta, where there is an active Chabad House that caters to not only the locals but to the many tourists that visit the country. The Chabad House has a synagogue and Torah classes that is run by Rabbi Chaim Shalom and Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Segal. Chabad is located 30-minutes away from the stadium where Maccabi will play their match on Tuesday and visitors can also indulge at their Kosher restaurant called L'Chaim that offers Humus, Schnitzel, Falafel and other tasty delights to make you feel right at home.
Music!
Believe it or not there is a musical connection between Israel and Malta! Noy Alooshe and Saar Badishi wrote the dance song "Lie" performed at the 2011 Malta Music Awards by one-time Eurovision Maltese singer Glen Vella. You can check the song out right here http://youtu.be/3fAXk5GvRnc
Tel Aviv Heat!
The weather in Malta is very similar to that of Tel Aviv. On Matchday the temperature will be 32 degrees with 60% humidity so the players will feel like they are at home, should they like it or not.
Who are you Hibernians FC?
Hibernians FC comes from the town of Paola in southern Malta and has 12,000 residents. Paola is located 5KM from Valletta, the capital city of Malta and is considered one of the country's newer towns. The Hibernians Stadium which will host Maccabi Tel Aviv seats 4,000 people and is right by the sea offering the visitors a wonderful view! The club occasionally plays some of its matches at the 18,000 National Stadium in the city of Ta'Qali and is 25 minutes away from the Hibernians modest Stadium.
