Georgian Jews
The Georgian Jews (Georgian: ქართველი ებრაელები, romanized: kartveli ebraelebi) are a community of Jews who migrated to Georgia during the Babylonian captivity in the 6th century BCE. It is one of the oldest communities in the region. They are also widely distinguished from the Ashkenazi Jews in Georgia, who arrived following the Russian annexation of Georgia.
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 250,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Israel | 200,000 |
| United States | 10,000 |
| Georgia | 1,405 (not including Abkhazia or South Ossetia) |
| Belgium | 1,200 |
| Austria | 800 |
| Azerbaijan | 500 |
| Russia | 14 |
| Languages | |
| Hebrew, Georgian (Judaeo-Georgian), English, Russian | |
| Religion | |
| Judaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Georgians, other Jews Especially Iraqi Jews and Persian Jews | |
| Part of a series on |
| Jews and Judaism |
|---|
|
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. The Georgian Jews were considered ethnically and culturally distinct from neighboring Mountain Jews.
As a result of a major emigration wave in the 1990s, the vast majority of Georgian Jews now live in Israel, with the world's largest community living in the city of Ashdod.