Batumi for the Jewish community: synagogue, kosher food and Israeli buyers

Why Batumi matters to Jewish and Israeli buyers

Batumi has an old synagogue, an active Chabad House with a kosher restaurant, and a large and growing share of Israeli visitors and buyers. According to Galt & Taggart, Israelis bought 13% of all flats sold in Batumi in 2025, not just of the flats sold to foreigners. A chart in the airport operator's 2026 brochure shows Israel as the largest single market at Batumi airport, with 36% of passenger traffic.

This guide is for Jewish families and Israeli buyers thinking about a flat in Batumi. It covers the community's history, where to pray and eat kosher, the Jewish holidays of 2027, what the market data say about Israeli buyers, and the legal points that differ when your documents and money come from Israel. General rules for foreign buyers are in our guide to money and taxes for a foreign buyer.

A Jewish community since the 1870s

The Encyclopaedia Judaica entry on Batumi, published by the Jewish Virtual Library, says a Jewish community formed after the city became part of the Russian Empire in 1878. It was not an easy start: in 1889 many Jews without official permission to live in Batumi were expelled, and the official count then showed 31 Jewish families. Batumi was the export terminal for Caspian oil at the time, and one of its refineries was owned jointly by the Rothschild family and Jewish investors in Russia.

The encyclopaedia says later figures cannot be established, and we found no census count of Jews in Batumi or Adjara today. Across Georgia, the Jewish Virtual Library records about 30,000 Georgian Jews moving to Israel in the 1970s and 21,134 more since 1989. That is why many Israeli families have Georgian roots, and why Georgian food, music and family names are familiar in Israel.

The Batumi synagogue

The synagogue stands at 33 Vazha-Pshavela Street. Permission to build it was given in 1899 by Emperor Nicholas II, after the request had been put off three times, and it opened in 1904. Its design was inspired by the synagogues of Amsterdam and The Hague, which is why it looks unlike anything else in the city. In the Soviet period it was closed and used as a sports hall. It was handed back to the community in the 1990s and reopened for worship in 1998, and it still holds services.

Chabad holds its holiday services in this building, which it calls the Great Synagogue. The travel guide JGuide Europe writes that Batumi has four synagogues and several kosher restaurants; we could not confirm the number of synagogues from another source, so ask the community before you rely on it.

Chabad House, Shabbat and kosher food

The Chabad House of Batumi is at 10 Vakhtang Gorgasali Street, a few minutes' walk from the synagogue, according to JGuide Europe. Its own website, chabadbatumi.ge, lists what it offers:

• Prayers: Shabbat prayers, plus services for Rosh Hashanah with the shofar, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simchat Torah and Shavuot.
• Shabbat meals: served at the Chabad House, with registration in advance.
• Kosher meat restaurant: described by Chabad as mehadrin, the strict standard, at the same address.
• Kosher grocery: a shop at the same address.
• Tourist information: an information centre for visitors.

Opening hours posted on the site may be out of date, so check them with Chabad before you plan a Friday. The Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS says Chabad Batumi also runs a kosher certification programme and a charity for residents and travellers, and a children's summer camp, Gan Israel. Israel's new ambassador to Georgia made his first official visit to the Batumi Chabad House in December 2025.

Adjara's official tourism portal also lists a kosher restaurant on Gogebashvili Street, but it does not say who supervises it, and we could not confirm that it is still open. We found no published information on a mikveh in Batumi; ask Chabad directly. If you keep kosher at home, ask Chabad which products it supervises and what the grocery stocks out of season.

Jewish holidays in 2027

The dates below follow the diaspora calendar published by Hebcal. Each holiday begins at sundown on the evening before. Chabad Batumi announces its holiday services on its website.

Pesach and the autumn holidays fall outside Batumi's July and August peak. For an owner who lets a flat in summer, these are good weeks to use it, when rents and flights are calmer; our seasonality guide shows how the city changes month by month.

Israeli buyers in the numbers

Galt & Taggart's review of Batumi's 2025 housing market, summarised by Investor.ge in April 2026, found 17,478 flats sold in the year, up 15%. Foreign buyers made up 52% of sales, and Israelis 13% of all sales, which the report called a fast-growing segment. By our calculation, 13% of 17,478 is roughly 2,270 flats. The average price of a finished flat was USD 1,865 per m², with Old Batumi above USD 3,000 and the outskirts below USD 1,500.

The trend began before 2025. In the first nine months of 2024, sales to Israeli citizens in Batumi's new-build market rose by nearly 55%, while total new-build sales fell by 22.9%, according to a Galt & Taggart survey of six large developers reported by Commersant. In Tbilisi, Israelis were the largest group of foreign buyers in developer projects from January to July 2025, with 12% of sales.

The visitor numbers come from FactCheck Georgia, which put Israel fourth by visits in 2024 and third by tourism revenue, and from National Bank data reported by Georgia Today. A strong tourist market matters to buyers who plan to let: our guide to foreign buyer statistics puts these figures in context.

Getting there and staying

The Georgian embassy in Israel states that Israeli citizens may enter Georgia without a visa and remain for one full year. People who live permanently in Israel on an Israeli visa, but are not Israeli citizens, may stay 90 days in any 180 while that visa is valid. For a longer stay, a flat can support a residence permit; our guide to the residence permit through property sets out the thresholds.

Nonstop flights from Tel Aviv to Batumi take a little over two hours. Wikipedia lists Arkia, Israir and Sundor, El Al's leisure brand, as seasonal operators on the route. We could not confirm the 2026 to 2027 schedules, so check with the airlines; our guide to flights to Batumi covers the airport, transfers and other routes.

Legal points for Israeli buyers

Israelis buy flats in Georgia on the same terms as other foreigners: apartments are open to them, and agricultural land is reserved for Georgian citizens. Three points are specific to Israel.

• Power of attorney: Israel and Georgia are both parties to the Hague Apostille Convention, Israel since 1978 and Georgia since 2007. A power of attorney signed before an Israeli notary therefore needs an apostille, not consular legalisation, plus a notarised Georgian translation. See our guides to the power of attorney and the apostille.
• Double taxation: the Georgia-Israel income tax treaty has been in force since 22 November 2011, as modified by the OECD multilateral instrument. Rental income from a flat in Batumi is normally taxed in Georgia first; how Israel then treats it depends on your own tax position, so ask an adviser. Our guide to double taxation treaties explains the general rules.
• Money: prices are usually quoted in US dollars, while notary and registry fees are paid in lari. Georgian banks ask where the purchase money comes from, and each bank applies its own rules; our guide to transferring money to Georgia explains the routes.

Consular help and security

Israel and Georgia established diplomatic relations on 1 June 1992. The Israeli embassy is at 154 Agmashenebeli Avenue in Tbilisi and gives consular services by appointment; we found no Israeli consular office in Batumi. In June 2025 the embassy closed for a time and suspended consular services during the escalation with Iran, so services can stop at short notice.

On 8 March 2026 Israel's National Security Council raised its travel advice for Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan to level 3 of 4, citing Iranian efforts to target Israelis in countries near Iran. We could not confirm the level in force today. Israeli citizens should read the current National Security Council advice before each trip and follow its guidance on keeping a low profile.

Where to look for a flat

For families who walk to the synagogue on Shabbat, distance matters more than the view. The synagogue on Vazha-Pshavela Street and the Chabad House on Gorgasali Street are both in the older part of the city, where prices are the highest in Batumi but daily life does not need a car. Our guide to Old Batumi covers the streets, buildings and prices. If the flat is mainly for holidays, a sea view further out may matter more; then check how long the walk to the synagogue takes on a Friday evening.

Batumi for Jewish families: pros and cons

Preparing to buy in Batumi from Israel step by step

1. Visit during a holiday

   See the synagogue and Chabad in use.

2. Choose the area

   Walking distance on Shabbat or a sea view.

3. Prepare a power of attorney

   Israeli notary, apostille, Georgian translation.

4. Plan the money transfer

   Proof of where the funds come from.

5. Check the tax position

   Georgian rental tax and Israeli rules.

6. Read the travel advice

   National Security Council, before each trip.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a synagogue in Batumi?

Yes, at 33 Vazha-Pshavela Street, opened in 1904 and reopened for worship in 1998.

Where can I eat kosher in Batumi?

At the Chabad House, 10 Vakhtang Gorgasali Street, which has a mehadrin meat restaurant and a kosher grocery.

Are there Shabbat meals?

Yes, at the Chabad House, with registration in advance.

How many Israelis buy in Batumi?

Israelis bought 13% of all flats sold in Batumi in 2025, according to Galt & Taggart.

Do Israelis need a visa for Georgia?

No. Israeli citizens may stay visa-free for one full year.

Does an Israeli power of attorney need legalisation?

No, an apostille is enough, plus a notarised Georgian translation.

Is there a tax treaty between Georgia and Israel?

Yes, in force since 22 November 2011.

Where is the nearest Israeli consulate?

At the embassy, 154 Agmashenebeli Avenue, Tbilisi, by appointment.

Sources

1. Batumi Synagogue, Wikipedia, and Batumi, JGuide Europe (accessed 28 October 2026)
2. Chabad House Batumi (accessed 28 October 2026) and Beit Habad Batumi, JGuide Europe
3. Israel's new ambassador to Georgia visits Chabad House in Batumi, Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, 2 December 2025, and summer camp in Batumi, 10 July 2023
4. Batumi and Georgia Jewish history tour, Jewish Virtual Library
5. Kosher restaurant listing, Visit Ajara (accessed 28 October 2026)
6. Jewish holidays 2027, Hebcal
7. Sector snapshot: Batumi residential real estate, Investor.ge, citing Galt & Taggart, 20 April 2026
8. Apartment sales to Israeli citizens in Batumi, Commersant, 15 November 2024, and Tbilisi sales to Israeli citizens, BM.ge, 11 September 2025
9. Batumi airport brochure, TAV Airports, 2026
10. Trade and visitors from Israel, FactCheck Georgia, 23 September 2025, and EU and Israeli visitors lead in spending, Georgia Today, 22 July 2025
11. Visa-free regime with Israel, Embassy of Georgia to Israel, and Batumi International Airport, Wikipedia (accessed 28 October 2026)
12. Double taxation treaties, Ministry of Finance of Georgia, and Apostille Convention status table, HCCH
13. Embassy of Israel in Georgia, bilateral relations, and embassy temporarily closed, First Channel, 13 June 2025
14. Israel advises against travel to Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia, Armenian Mirror-Spectator, 12 March 2026

Change log

• 28 October 2026 - Guide published from Wikipedia, JGuide Europe, Chabad Batumi, the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, the Jewish Virtual Library, Visit Ajara, Hebcal, Investor.ge, Commersant, BM.ge, TAV Airports, FactCheck Georgia, Georgia Today, the Georgian MFA, the Ministry of Finance, HCCH, the Embassy of Israel, First Channel and the Armenian Mirror-Spectator.