Israeli President Reuven Rivlin at the Great Synagogue in the city of Tbilisi, Georgia, on Jan. 10. (photo by Haim Zach / IGPO via Ashernet)
At the Great Synagogue in Tbilisi, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin spoke about the history of Jews in Georgia, and the close ties that have existed over the years between Georgia and Israel. He said the connection “is good, yet we must do more.”
He noted, “The Jewish heart, the close bond with the Jewish community here, adds extra special essence to the ties between the two countries. Just this last Shabbat, we read in the Torah of Judah, who was ready to be held as a guarantee in place of his brother Benjamin. The mutual responsibility is the secret of the strength of the people of Israel, so it was in the past and so it is today. Jews in Israel and around the world have a responsibility for each other, we are one people. We will do all we can to perpetuate and to preserve the warm bond with you and with the Georgian people, and I am certain we will succeed.”
Earlier in the day, Rivlin met with Irakli Kobakhidze, chair of the Georgian parliament.