The Akhaltsikhe Synagogue

In Georgia, a 23-year-old maintains a venerable synagogue, the last remnant of his community

The synagogue of Akhaltsikhe, Georgia, is one of the last remnants of the town's Jewish community. Dating back to at least 1863, its date of construction is the topic of debate, with some saying it was built over a century earlier.

Gabbai Beniamin Levishvili

“I stay because if not me, who will do it?” Says 23-year old Beniamin Levishvili, the synagogue’s gabbai. His father and grandfather all held the position before him. Without a gabbai, or beadle, the synagogue’s existence would be threatened.

Historian Tsira Meskhishvili

The synagogue’s date of construction is a matter of some debate. A cornerstone on the exterior facade is inscribed with the year 1863. However, some locals, including historian Tsira Meskhishvili, believe that the synagogue’s origins may date back further, going as far as to assert that it is one of the oldest synagogues in Europe.

David Boterashvili

David Boterashvili, 64, spent his childhood in Rabati. Though he now lives in Tbilisi, he maintains a strong regional identity.

“I always remember my community not as Akhaltsikhe Jews, Georgian Jews, or Jews — but as Rabati Jews,” Boterashvili says. “They stand apart from the rest who live in Georgia. There was always a difference, externally and internally.”

The Rabati neighborhood in Akhaltsikhe stands as an emblem of the region’s diversity, with religious buildings from different traditions nestled in close quarters. The ninth-century fortress is known as the Rabati Castle, and was used as a prison and a military hospital before World War ll. The fortress sprawls across the town’s skyline and was used by Ottoman and Russian Imperial forces, the neighborhood’s religious diversity ranges from the Armenian Apostolic church to the Turkish mosque.