The building’s design was brought to Oni by Rabbi Elia Amshikashvili, who studied in Warsaw. When offered a position to serve in Europe, he declined, citing the faithful community living in Georgia, whom he did not want to abandon. He reportedly said, “They have faith, but no place to pray.” Influential members of the Jewish community took notice and began fundraising to build a synagogue in Georgia.

Did you know that...

1. The synagogue was built using white limestone. It features a domed roof and has a rectangular shape oriented toward the east. The dome is crowned with a multi-pointed Star of David.

2. In the 1920s, the communists ordered the demolition of the Oni Synagogue, but Amshikashvili, together with his family, barricaded themselves inside. Jewish and Georgian women, carrying infants in their arms, surrounded the building and successfully prevented its destruction.