Georgians in Israel — Their Traditions, Problems

By IIAIM SHACHTER

JERUSALEM — It is esti-
mated that there are about
12,000 Georgian or "Gruzini-
an" immigrants in Israel.
Their flow to the country, in-
sofar as aliya from the So-
viet Union continues, has not
been halted, and they consti•
tute about 25-40 per cent of
the monthly flow of aliya.

ten numbering as many as ! from their dreamland, and
100 souls. Cases of marriage I caused them disappointment.
out of faith or even of inter-
Medical services in the
marriage with other Jewish Soviet Union, although on a
communities are very rare.
fairly low professional level,
First emissaries of the are well organized. In Israel,
Chabad 1.ubavitch movement on the other hand, the pro-
came to Georgia about 100 fessional standards are very
years ago and instilled a love high, but the organizational
for Zion. The close contacts aspect leaves much to be de-
between Georgian Jews and sired. In the Soviet Union ed-
the Chabad movement per- ucation on all levels is free;
in Israel post-primary educa-
sist today.
After the Communist rev. tion must be paid for.

In an interview with Grisha
Pay's. in charge of the Rus-
sian desk at the Israel Minis-
try of Absorption, informa-- elution, the contacts between
lion was given about the the Jews of Georgia and the
background, traditions and Jewish communities came to
composition of the Gruzinian a virtual end. The yeshivot in
community and the problems Georgia were closed down,
encountered by the new ar- and Jews who wanted to give
their children a Torah educa•
rivals in the country.
lion had to send them to
The Gruzinian community Moscow. Apart from such
harbors traditions dating
limitation, however, the Jews
hack more than 2,500 years.
of Georgia enjoyed almost
The first Jews reached the
complete religious freedom
Caucasian a n d Armenian
under the Communist re-
mountain regions after the
.
destruction of the First Tern-
In addition. Georgia en-
ple; another wave arrived in
region after the destruc- toyed a large measure of ec-
onomic autonomy. Private
onomic
tion of the Second Temple
('lose spiritual contacts were property was not confiscated,
maintained between the Jews and the efforts to introduce a
of the Caucasian Mountains collective
economy were slow
'
and their brethren in Israel and unsuccessful. The Jews
and other parts of the world. of Georgia exploited these
These contacts were partici'. loopholes in the Soviet econ-
larly close with the Jewish only and engaged in what
community of Spain during may be regarded as inde-
the Golden Age. pendent branches of occupa-
tion, such as petty trade,
From the Caucasus and Ar- photography, shoemaking,
menia the Jews began wan- etc. In general, the Georgian
dering west. They were re- Jews enjoyed economic afflu-
ceived well in Georgia, ence.
where they settled sonic 1.100
There was a trickle of
years ago. The theory has aliya as far back as the early
been advanced that it was years of Jewish settlement.
the Jews of Georgia who had •
During the Russian Revolu-
brought the Jewish religion non, several thousand ar•
to the notice of the king of rived.
the Khazars who, together
Since the gates of exit
with his people, became pro-
from the Soviet Union were
selytes to Judaism.
closed in the 1920s until
Two traits characterized about four years ago, hardly
the Georgian Jewish corn- a single Jew succeeded in
munity: meticulous observ- leaving Georgia. After the
ance of religious precepts Six-Day War, Georgians be.
and their inclination to live gall clamoring for exit per-
together in large concentra-
lions, which were deemed
The first Georgian families
necessary for the preserva-
tion of their national con- arrived in Israel in 1968.69
sciousness. T h e Georgian and were all absorbed in the
Jews laid special stress on Chabad Quarter at Lod. The
the observance of the Sab- Chabad community in Israel
baths and festivals, and even adopted the new arrivals,
under the Communist regime admitted their children to
their synagogues were filled their schools and yeshivot
and helped the adults to find
to capacity.
work. In 1971 the wave of
Their patriarchal mode of Gruzinian immigrants i n-
life was zealously. guarded.
creased, reaching the figure
Their families always con-
of about 5,000. They too,
centrated in one place of res-
were absorbed at first in the
idence, such "hamulas" of-
Chabad Quarters at Lydda
and Kiryat Malachi. When
housing in these localities
was filled, they began to be
sent to other localities. Geor-
gian immigrants are to be
found in 30 towns and vil-
Israelis feel that prospects lages throughout the coun-
for a peace agreement with try, 20 among them being de-
the Arabs are slight. But velopment areas from Naha-
two-thirds of them polled in riya in the north to Dimona
a recent nationwide public in the south.
opinion poll believe that
The Georgian immigrants
peace will eventually come experienced considerable ab-
to the Middle East. Twenty. sorption difficulties during
seven
per cent thought their first months in this
peace would arrive within country. From the informs-
five years, and 20 per cent lion, often incorrect, which
more said it would come they had received they had
within 10 years, when the formed a much rosier plc.
poll was taken last year. ture of conditions in
the
Now, a year later, only 3.6 country than was justified.
per cent believe peace will The deeply religious Jews
he reached within 5 years, Imagined the country to be
and 6 2 per cent more say it governed exclusively by re-
will come within 10 years.
'igloos law. The less observ-
ant Jew, on the other hand,
TUITION FREE
imagined that if he settled
The many things we learn in Lydda he could board a
• from experience could be bus on the Sabbath and
classed as compulsory edu- travel wherever he wished.
cation.
Reality differed considerably

Many Moods

of Israel

I. — Friday, Nov. 3, 1972

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

In the Soviet Union, many
were self-employed, engag-
ing in shoe making, tailoring,
hairdressing and handicrafts.
But vocational standards in
the Soviet Union differ from
those in Israel where articles
require a much better fin-
ish.

have found work in the light
industry but many work also
in the heavy industries such
as the Haifa shipyards, the
military industry and the
metal f o u n d r i e s. Large
groups have found work in
Ashdod port and Lydda air-
port. Others have found work
in the building trade, and
some even in the Israel mer-
chant marine.

A considerable number of
young Georgian Jews have
recently enlisted in the police
force and are now undergo-
ing special training courses;
another group is undergoing
training as prison wardens.
So far, only a few Georgian
Jews have enlisted in the
army because new immi-
grants generally receive a
year's deferment of service.
In the coming months, how-
ever, their numbers will in-
crease and the Israel army
will undoubtedly mold them
within a short time into full-
fledged Israelis.

Many
Georgian immi-
grants therefore experience
a considerable sense of frus-
tration. They bring with
them vocations for which
there is considerable demand
in the country, yet they ex-
perience difficulty in absorp-
ABOUT FACE
tion in the labor market and
Whenever a man faces
to earn what they consider a
misfortune
it's time for him
feasible return, unless they
first undergo retraining or to travel in the other direc-
switch over to other occupa- tion.
tions. Many at first refused
to undergo such retraining
and so were diverted to in-
dustries.
When they first began ar-
riving, the Gruzinians re-
ceived tender and devoted
care from the Chabad Hasi-
dim who did excellent social
absorption work. When, how-
ever, all available housing at
Lydda and Kiryat Malachi
were filled, the Chabad move-
ment found it was no longer
able to continue activities
and so various extremist re•
ligious factors stepped in,
seeking to take the Georgians
under their aegis and caus-
ing unnecessary problems.
About 80 per cent of the
new arrivals change their
place of work four or five
times during their initial pe-
riod in the country until they
land what they describe as
"work after their own heart.
Most of the Georgian ohm

COOPER

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DEMOCRAT

18th DISTRICT

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Congress

Cornmater

"Retain this
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Superior aid Endorsed — Urban Alliance

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COMMON PLEAS COURT

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"The people's confidence is the most important...

Mayor Norman W.

The Mayor
as JUDGE

I have become a candidate for
judge of the 4fith District Court
because I am satisfied that my
it has turned the corner in
growth, stability and sound man-
agement. The challenge of ju-
dic ial
ial duty now offers a new
opportunity to serve this com-
munity. I am grateful for the
chance to serve, and the people's
con fidence in Illy performance
the most important consideration
in ills

FEDER

for

JUDGE

46th District
(Unopposed)

VOTE NOVEMBER 7th