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XIX century
Tiflis Post Card from NY Public Library
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia
(former Soviet Republic) with a population of approximately
1.5 million people. It was
first founded in the mid-5th century and until 1936, the name of the city
in English and most other languages was Tiflis.
The Jewish
population of Georgia has steadily decreased over the years due to Aliyah
in response to the political and economic issues. During the 1970s mass emigration took
place. About 30, 000 Georgian Jews
left to Israel and some to
other countries. The number of Jews
in Georgia decreased from 28, 300 in 1979 to 24,800 in 1989. Overall, since 1989, 21,134 Jews have
moved to Israel . In 1993 the number of Jews in Georgia was
estimated at 14,500.
Once numbering
as many as 100,000, today the Georgian Jewish population is approximately
13,000.
Tbilisi has the
largest Jewish population at 11,000 out of 1.5 million.
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