UN Women documenting the lived experiences of Jewish women affected by the 1990s conflicts in Georgia

Before the collapse of the Soviet Union and subsequent conflicts in the early 1990s in Abkhazia, Georgia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, Georgia, both regions embraced multiculturalism and enjoyed ethnic diversity.

While the plight of IDPs in Georgia has been relatively well researched over the course of three decades, little to nothing is known about the lived experiences or the plight of diverse ethnic and minority groups and women in Georgia’s region of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia, including the Jewish community, during and in the aftermath of the conflicts.

In its efforts to amplify the voices of those left behind and apply an intersectional lens to the peace and security discourse, UN Women is dedicated to recognizing the experiences of marginalized groups, including women from diverse ethnic backgrounds, and making their voices heard and accounted for. To this end, the entity embarked on collecting the stories of Jewish women currently living in Israel who fled the above-mentioned regions as a result of the 1990s conflicts, with plans to publish their stories.

“The untold story of the Georgian Jewish women from Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region/South Ossetia unmutes the forgotten voices of the women who had been forced to part with the life they had built and refined for generations,” says Lasha Shakulashvili, scholar of Jewish Studies and Visiting Researcher at the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem and author of the expected publication. “The vast majority of these women emigrated to the State of Israel during the autumn of 1993, leaving behind the life they loved, and stepped into a world of unknown and uncertainty. Three decades have passed, but their stories remain unknown to the general public, whether ethnic Georgians, ethnic Abkhazians or ethnic Ossetians. The publication will open up a new chapter in public diplomacy, welcoming the Georgian Jewish displaced women and their stories of loss, fear and longing for hope.”

Three decades of protracted conflicts have demonstrated the need for creative and novel approaches to conflict transformation and peacebuilding in Georgia. Therefore, showcasing the stories of the Jewish community and of Jewish women in particular, as well as recognizing their lived experiences of conflict and its aftermath, will broaden the discourse from the perspectives of Jewish women and contribute to public diplomacy, people-to-people contacts and confidence-building efforts where women can play a critical role in achieving durable peace.

The stories of Jewish women affected by the 1990s conflicts in Georgia are being documented with the core funds of the UN Women Country Office in Georgia and are expected to be published in February 2023.