Town of Kulashi

Kulashi is a small town in Imereti. It had formerly been a home to one of the largest Georgian Jewish communities, size of which has significantly decreased due to several waves of Jewish expatriation to Israel. The Jewish community of Kulashi is made up of the Jews who came to the village from Akhaltsikhe, Lailashi, Bandza, Sujuni, etc. The Jews who were born in Kulashi were called “Kulashelebi” by Georgian Jews. One of the districts in Kulashi was called “Abuashvili’s District” and it was inhabited by families, one of them being “hakham” Abraham Mikhelashvili. Kulashi used to be a beautiful city full of life, where Christians and Jews lived in harmony; Christian and Jew kids used to study in local schools together, Jews usually worked as farmers or merchants, but some also took up in liberal professions. The industry Jews were mostly involved in was growing vine. Kulashi was the center of Jewish traditions and culture; Kulashi was referred to as “Georgia’s Jerusalem”.