Les Juifs de Tbilissi (communauté ashkénaze)

Distinct from the ancient community of Georgian Jews (Gruzinim), an Ashkenazi community established itself in Tbilisi under the Russian Empire in the nineteenth century, composed of officials, military men, merchants and members of the liberal professions who came from the Russian provinces. Russian-speaking and of Ashkenazi tradition, it was distinguished by its language and customs from the long-established Georgian Jews. Under the Soviet regime, it shared in the life of the city while enduring the constraints weighing on religious practice. After the fall of the USSR and the independence of Georgia, the majority of its members emigrated, above all to Israel and Russia.

Sources & resources

• The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe ↗
• Encyclopaedia Judaica — 2e éd., Keter/Macmillan