Batumi Synagogue

Georgia has surprised many people with its diverse historical and cultural monuments. In addition to the ancient Georgian traditional monuments, there are seven synagogues in various cities of the country (Tbilisi, Batumi, Oni, Surami, Gori, Kutaisi, and Akhaltsikhe). Georgian Jews, who speak Georgian, even created the Judeo-Georgian, or Kivruli, language.

Region

Ajara

City

Batumi

Where Is Batumi Synagogue Located?

On Vazha-Pshavela Street, the Batumi Synagogue (or Stone Ashkenazi Synagogue) is a tall, ostentatious building, where, on the other side of an iron fence with metalwork ornaments, you will spot a decorated structure with a wooden door and symmetrically-arranged round and oval windows.

The History of Batumi Synagogue

Batumi Synagogue looks similar to the synagogues of Amsterdam and The Hague and was built by Simon Volkovich, an architect from Batumi, in 1904.

Permission to build the structure was given by the Russian emperor Nicholas II, at the beginning of the 20th century, when the local Jews sent him a petition. Soon after its construction, in the 1930s, the synagogue, like other religious places of worship, was closed by an order of the Soviet government.

During the Communist period, gymnastic and fencing clubs together with the “Spartak” sports club, were housed in the synagogue building. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the building was returned to the Jews in 1992 and the synagogue was restored to its original purpose.

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