History of the Jews in Abkhazia
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The History of the Jews in Abkhazia dates back more than 2,000 years. Georgian Jews have been living in this area for centuries.
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[edit] History
The Georgian Jews are among the most ancient communities of the Jewish diaspora, although the exact dates of their arrival are the subject of some disagreement. The various claims are that they arrived:
- Following the Assyrian destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BCE.
- Fleeing Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian armies around 586 BCE.
- Following the destruction of the Second Temple by Roman armies in the first century.
Some other sources give other dates, but none later than the second century C.E. It is entirely possible that the community is an amalgam of refugees from all of these historical calamities.
[edit] Non-Jewish view
According to the Georgian hagiography, Jewish communities existed in Georgia in the 1st century, because a Georgian Jew called Elias was in Jerusalem during the crucifixion and brought Jesus' robe back with him to Georgia, which he acquired from a Roman soldier at Golgotha.
