In the Palestinian village of Beit Jala, an older generation of Aramaic speakers is trying to share the language with their grandchildren. Beit Jala sits next to Bethlehem, where the New Testament says Jesus was born. And in the Arab-Israeli village of Jish, nestled in the Galilean hills where Jesus lived and preached, elementary school children now are being instructed in Aramaic. The children belong mostly to the Maronite Christian community, where members still chant their liturgy in Aramaic, though few understand the prayers. “We want to speak the language that Jesus spoke,” said Carla Hadad, a 10-year-old Jish girl...