Chabad Lubavitch of Georgia
Chabad-Lubavitch in Georgia: the Kozlovskys' Tbilisi centre, Or Avner school and kindergarten since 2005, and a Batumi house for Israeli tourists, alongside the non-Chabad Vaad and Georgian Jewish rabbinate
| Chabad Lubavitch of Georgia
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Chabad-Lubavitch emissary operation |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Founder(s) | Meir Kozlovsky and Tzippora Kozlovsky |
| Headquarters | 25 Kote Afkhazi Street, Tbilisi 0105 |
| Area served | Georgia |
| Key people | Meir Kozlovsky; Tzippora Kozlovsky; Zeev Mendelzon (Batumi) |
| Remarks | Affiliations: Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS. Websites chabadtbilisi.ge, chabadbatumi.ge |
Chabad-Lubavitch in Georgia (the country in the Caucasus) is run from Tbilisi by Rabbi Meir Kozlovsky and his wife Tzippy (Tzippora) Kozlovsky. They "arrived in the capital city of Tbilisi in the year 5765 (2005 in the Gregorian calendar)". Two further emissary couples later joined them: Ben Zion and Rachel Israeli, and Zalmen and Bracha Zaks.[1] At 25 Kote Afkhazi Street, Chabad runs the Or Avner school and the Yaldei Menachem kindergarten, which belong to the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS network.[2][3] A Chabad house in the Black Sea resort of Batumi serves local Jews and Israeli tourists.[4]
Emissaries and centres
- Tbilisi. Lubavitch.com lists "Chabad Lubavitch of Georgia" at 25 Kote Afkhazi Street, Tbilisi 0105, under Meir and Tzippora Kozlovsky.[3]
- The Or Avner school has "About 120 students in grades 1-12".
- The Yaldei Menachem kindergarten has "About sixty children".
- Chabad also says it helps "thousands of tourists coming to Georgia every year".[1]
- Batumi. Chabad of Batumi is at 10 Vakhtang Gorgasali Street, Batumi 0160. It is run by Rabbi Ze'evi (Zeev) Mendelzon and Mushi (Chaya Mushka) Mendelzon and "operates under the direction of Rabbi Meir and Tzippi Kozlovsky".[4][5] It has a Mehadrin kosher meat restaurant and organises Shabbat and holiday meals for travellers.[4]
Chabad of Batumi gives its founding date as "5768 (2018 in the Gregorian calendar)".[4]
Relations with the Jewish community
- Non-Chabad institutions. Chabad is one of several Orthodox bodies in Georgia.
- The Vaad L'Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel (the Vaad), a non-Chabad organisation, has worked in Tbilisi since 1984. It says its protégé Ariel Levin, "Chief Rabbi of Tbilisi", built up a school, a yeshiva and a kollel. Since Levin emigrated to Israel, the Vaad's institutions have been run by Rabbi Avimelech Rosenblath.[6]
- The Great Synagogue of Tbilisi has its own board, chaired by Merab Chanchalashvili in 2019.[7]
- Georgian Jewish rabbinate. In May 2019 the Georgian Jewish Association of the World visited Georgia, led by its chief rabbi, Iakob Gagulashvili. At a meeting with the State Agency for Religious Issues, Meir Kozlovsky was listed among "Georgia's Rabbins" in attendance.[7]
Relations with the state, business and Israel
- State funding. At the 2019 meeting, the chairman of the State Agency for Religious Issues, Zaza Vashakmadze, spoke of "the funding for the Georgian Jewish community". He said the state had returned all synagogues to the community (the agency's English text says "churches").[7] The delegation thanked the state for support for a planned Jewish educational centre.[7]
- Tourism. Both centres say that serving tourists is a core part of their work. The Batumi centre names "Activities geared towards Israeli tourists in Georgia".[1][4]
- No source was found on Chabad's dealings with the Israeli embassy or with particular businesses in Georgia.
Funding and donors
The Or Avner school belongs to the FJC network. The FJC asks for donations to be sent to its New York office.[2] No accounts or named donors were found.
Controversies
None found.
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1984 | The non-Chabad Vaad begins work in Tbilisi with Ariel Levin |
| 2005 | Meir and Tzippy Kozlovsky arrive in Tbilisi |
| 2007/08 or 2018 | Chabad of Batumi founded (sources conflict) |
| May 2019 | Kozlovsky attends the State Agency for Religious Issues meeting with the Georgian Jewish Association of the World |
See also
- Jewish, Zionist and Israeli connections to Georgia
- Chabad-Lubavitch in West Asia
- Chabad Lubavitch of Azerbaijan
- Chabad Lubavitch of Armenia
- Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chabad of Tbilisi, "Chabad House Tbilisi Georgia", accessed 20 October 2026. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, "Tbilisi", accessed 20 October 2026. Chabad-side.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lubavitch.com, Centres directory: Tbilisi, accessed 20 October 2026. Chabad-side directory.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Chabad of Batumi, "About and Contact", accessed 20 October 2026. Chabad-side.
- ↑ Lubavitch.com, Centres directory: Batumi, accessed 20 October 2026. Chabad-side directory.
- ↑ Vaad L'Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel, "Tbilisi, Georgia", accessed 20 October 2026. Non-Chabad Orthodox organisation.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 State Agency for Religious Issues (Georgia), "Meeting with the Georgian Jewish Association of the World", 31 May 2019. Official.