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