GEORGIA: JEWISH COMMUNITY RESTORES SYNAGOGUE THEY

C O N F I D E N T I A L TBILISI 001787 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/30/2019 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM GG SUBJECT: GEORGIA: JEWISH COMMUNITY RESTORES SYNAGOGUE THEY DO NOT OWN Classified By: Classified By: Charge d'Affaires a.i. Kent Logsdon for r easons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) With great fanfare, a 150-year-old Ashkenazi synagogue reopened in the "Old Tbilisi" district on September 15. The synagogue was badly damaged by a 1991 earthquake and was closed in 2005. The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC),who held their annual conference in Georgia last year, primarily funded the restoration project. Construction work on the synagogue was completed in time for the celbration of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year 5770. The synagogue was named Beit Rachel (House of Rachel) in memory of the late mother of EAJC President Alexander Mashkevich, who donated Torah scrolls to the synagogue and was present at the opening ceremony. The ceremony itself began with a festive procession, which included hundreds of Jewish community members and traditional musicians and dancers, of the Torah scrolls from the main synagogue to Beit Rachel, only a few blocks away. Government officials also participated in the procession, including State Minister for Reintegration Temur Yakobashvili (the only Jewish member of the Cabinet) and Parliamentary Vice Speaker Gigi Tsereteli, as well as Poloff. Local Georgians in the area watched the procession with smiles and seemed pleased by the festive occasion. People on the street and Jewish community members greeted each other with "great day." The restoration of the new synagogue was masterfully completed and includes new marble floors, stained glass, carved pews, and a stunning crystal chandelier. GOG SUPPORT, BUT OWNERSHIP QUESTIONS ¶2. (C) President Mikheil Saakashvili showed his support for the Tbilisi's small Jewish community by attending the opening ceremony. In an address inside the newly restored synagogue, Saakashvili underscored the beauty of the "Old Tbilisi" district where now two synagogues, a mosque, a Georgian Orthodox church, and an Armenian Orthodox church stand in close proximity. President Saakashvili also said that "Old Tbilisi" is a small neighborhood where Georgian, Yiddish, Armenian, and Azeri is spoken and local residents live in peace and friendship. "People so strong will never be defeated by an outside foe," said Saakashvili. The community rabbi said that obtaining government permission for the restoration went very smoothly. The main hurdle was determining the synagogue's ownership, a question the EAJC wanted to have clarified before providing funding. The rabbi said that, as a historical building, it was determined that the synagogue does not belong to the Jewish community, but to the Ministry of Culture. He pointed out, however, that the synagogue was leased back to the community for a symbolic price. ¶3. (C) As reported in the International Religious Freedom Report, a similar arrangement exits with the main synagogue; however, the rabbi claimed not to know how the ownership of the main synagogue was arranged. (Comment: The ownership of religious buildings is a contentious issue in Georgia, especially in regards to church buildings claimed by both the Armenian Orthodox and the Georgian Orthodox Church as well as churches claimed by both the Roman Catholic and Georgian Orthodox Church. The GOG has not make a final determination of ownership in fear of reprisal from the Georgian Orthodox Church. End Comment.) The rabbi stated that the actual ownership of the synagogue does not interest his community and that, once the determination was made that the synagogue belonged to the GOG, the permit process became much easier. Qbelonged to the GOG, the permit process became much easier. The rabbi said that the EAJC might even restore another synagogue in the Oni district that was destroyed by an earthquake that hit on September 8 of this year. The rabbi noted that his community has not been subject to any hostility by any groups this year. ¶4. (C) Comment: The restoration of a second synagogue in Tbilisi was a great accomplishment for the Jewish community and was peacefully and happily celebrated by all the local residents. The Jewish community itself is generally very well respected in the city and enjoys the support of the GOG, as illustrated by President Saakashvili's presence at the opening. The community's rabbi is very wary of rocking-the-boat and destroying the positive status quo by pushing on issues like the actual ownership of the synagogue. End Comment. LOGSDON