Draft:History of the Jews in Georgia

The history of the Jews in Georgia primarily encompasses the history of the Georgian Jews (Georgian: ქართველი ებრაელები, romanized: kartveli ebraelebi), a community of Jews who migrated to Georgia during the Babylonian captivity in the 6th century BCE.[1] It is one of the oldest communities in the region. In addition to Georgian Jews, the country also has a population of Ashkenazi Jews (აშქენაზები) who arrived following the Russian annexation of Georgia. Both groups are considered distinct from the neighboring Mountain Jews.[2]

Georgian Jews

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Prior to Georgia's annexation by the Russian Empire in 1801, the 2,600-year history of the Georgian Jews was marked by an almost total absence of antisemitism and a visible assimilation in the Georgian language and culture.[3]

As a result of a major emigration wave in the 1990s, the vast majority of Georgian Jews now live in Israel.

Ashkenazi Jews

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Ashkenazi Synagogue of Tbilisi https://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/about/communities/GE

References

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  1. ^ The Wellspring of Georgian Historiography: The Early Medieval Historical Chronicle The Conversion of Katli and The Life of St. Nino, Constantine B. Lerner, England: Bennett and Bloom, London, 2004, p. 60
  2. ^ Mountain Jews: customs and daily life in the Caucasus, Leʼah Miḳdash-Shemaʻʼilov, Liya Mikdash-Shamailov, Muzeʼon Yiśraʼel (Jerusalem), UPNE, 2002, page 9
  3. ^ Forget Atlanta - this is the Georgia on my mind By Jewish Discoveries and Harry D. Wall Feb. 7, 2015, Haaretz