May 24, 2022
The Jewish Story of Kutaisi, Georgia
Kutaisi is the legislative capital of Georgia, and a current municipal center of the Imereti region. It is the 3rd most populous city and is considered to be one of the most important cities in Georgia. Jewish inhabitants have been living in Kutaisi starting from ancient times, but we do not have any official sources until the year 1644. Jews lived mainly in the north-east of the city – Kutaisi, on the left bank of the river Rioni. This place was called street Shaumyani. This area was settled more compactly by Jews than the other ones. The number of Jewish residents showed an apparent growth at the end of the 18th century but as time passed, most of the Jews left Kutaisi for their historic homeland.
