Kareli Synagogue, Located on 9 Jerusalem St, was built in the 20th century, with a brick as a building material. The synagogue was reconstructed in 1990. Today the synagogue is abandoned and inactive, therefore the condition of the building and its material is poor.
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Jewish Graveyard in Gori
The Jewish Cemetery in Gori is located on the Kvernaki Range, this is a common cemetery where some Jewish graves are located. In the end of the 20th century, after the immigration of Jews to Israel the cemetery stopped being active, but it is well maintained. Hebrew inscriptions on the tombs are readable. Jews often come from Israel to visit the graves of their ancestors.
Gori Synagogue
The synagogue, located in Gori, Kasteli Street, which was opened in 1936, is one of the distinctive ones out of every Jewish shrine in Georgia. The material which was used for its construction is brick. The building date of this synagogue is very important because this was the time when the synagogues in the Soviet Union were being destroyed, but in Gori, in the hometown of Stalin, the building was being constructed. In 1996 the city celebrated its 60 years anniversary.
Surami
Surami is a mountain resort in Shida Kartli’s side of Khashuri Municipality. Until the year 1970, before the migration of Jews started, there were 580 Jewish families living in Surami. The first stage of migration started in the 70s and continued in the 80s and from the 90s to 2000s due to migration only 10 families were left in the city. Majority of Jews sold their houses and the former district of Jews was later named Jerusalem Street.
Jewish Graveyard in Surami
The Jewish Graveyard in Surami, which is very old, is located on the opposite side of Surami Fortress on Grigol Surameli Street. The graveyard is currently active, fenced and some of the inscriptions on the tombstones are readable. The cemetery is being taken care of by local Georgians and local Jews. In addition, Georgian Jews from Israel are financing the maintenance of their ancestors’ graves.
Surami Synagogue
Surami Synagogue is located in the Jewish district, on the left bank of the Suramula River. The date in which the building was constructed is unknown. The synagogue is currently open, it has “Hakham” and Gabbai and it serves the local community. Prayers barely take place in the synagogue. Women participate in religious rituals from the half isolated place on the second floor of the building.
Mtskheta
Mtskheta, located at the junctions of the rivers Mtkvari and Araks, is an old capital of Georgia. This is the place where Jews appeared and settled down. After their persecution from Jerusalem in 586 BC, they asked the head of Mtskheta for permission to let them inhabit the area, for which they would pay a relevant amount. They got a positive answer and they occupied the part of the banks of the river Aragvi named Zanavi. After a little while the Jewish moved to different villages and cities, which were trade centers. In “Conversion of Kartli” this community is dated as the year 169 BC. In the Georgian Chronicles Georgian Jews are connected to the crucifixion of the Christ. Eliezeri, who was from Mtskheta, and Longinus traveled to Jerusalem and they brought the cloth of Christ with them. Sidonia hugged the cloth, fell on the ground and died, and because they could not get the cloth out of her arms they buried her with it. According to the legend, the gravestone located around Svetitskhoveli territory represents Sidonia’s grave. Sidonia is also connected to Saint Nino; Sidonia traveled around with Nino, along with 6 Israeli nuns and was the witness of her miracles. In the middle centuries’ documents, it is said that many Jews were victims of kidnapping and theft; the cruel behaviour caused Jews to leave the region.
The Jewish Story of the Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Region in Georgia
Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti is a region located in the western part of Georgia and consists of historical provinces Samegrelo and Zemo Svaneti. The area has 1 city and 7 municipalities. Areas which were inhabited by Jews are the City of Poti, the Municipality of Senaki and villages: Sujuna and Bandza.
Poti is a port city in Georgia, located on the eastern Black Sea coast in the region of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti in the western part of the country. Jews of Poti inhabited the place in 1958, once the place received the status of the city. Daniel Magashvili’s family was one of the five families who started the Jewish community in Poti. Near the middle of the 20th century there were 200 Jewish families in the city, brought by the need of viable resources. During that time the Rabbi of the city also worked for the Jews of Sokhumi and Batumi. Apart from Ashkenazi Jews there were the Jews of Sujuna, Bandza and Kutaisi. In 1886, 161 Jews inhabited Poti, 54 out of which were there temporarily. In 1945 Jewish community officially registered in the city. The Jewish site you can find at this place is an inactive Poti Synagogue, which was built in 1903.
Senaki, located on the right bank of the river Tekhuri, is a town in western Georgia, specifically in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region. We come across the Jews of Senaki or Tskhakaia for the first time in sources from the 19th century. According to one of the sources Itzhak Israelashvili had a debt of 200 Georgian Maneti (Russian Ruble). In 1869 traveler J. Chorny visited Senaki and pointed out in his writings that the Govern of Senaki promised to give him a permit to inhabit Kutaisi, because there was no place to pray in the town. There was a time when 3000 Jews inhabited this area; the number came down to one by the 2018 statistics; by this year there was just one man named Simon Tsitsuashvili left from the community.
The Jewish sites you can find in Senaki are a Synagogue, which was built in 1969 and the Jewish graveyard. In the 1940s or 1950s there were two active synagogues in the town. One, located in the center of the city, was built in 1880 and was destroyed by the government in 1946. Second one was located at the same place and was a two floor building; it was burnt down in 1963 but by the help of local Jews it was reconstructed. The synagogue was taken away from the Jews and was redesigned into a factory for cooling drinks.
Sujuna, a village in Abasha municipality, is located on the bank of the river Abasha. Georgian Jews have been compactly living in Sujuna since the 18th century. During the ruling of David Dadiani Sujuna became one of the centers for trade. The last Jew living in Sujuna passed away in 2000, but Jews still visit the synagogue annually and have a good relationship with the people living in the village. Along with the Synagogue, there is also a graveyard in Sujuna.
Bandza is a village located in the western part of Georgia, in the municipality of Martvili, where in the second half of the 18th century Jewish people started to live. The first sources, where we hear about the place date back to 1639-1640 years. In the 18th century the place used to be one of the leading ones; the lord named Phagava brought Jewish Savdagori’s family to solidify the village economically; after this more Jews started inhabiting the area and they created a community. At the beginning of the 20th century Jews built a synagogue in the Jewish district of Bandza. There is also Jewish cemetery near the synagogue. The synagogue is inactive today but many Jewish people visit it very often.
City Shaurma
This fast food restaurant is one of the best places to get shawarma in the city of Poti.
Aragvi
Restaurant Aragvi is located near the city center, where you can taste traditional Georgian dishes such as fish, khinkali, khachapuri, pickeled veggies and local wine. The restaurant has received raving reviews for it’s inexpensive meals, cozy atmosphere, and delicous flavors.
