Krikheli, Aharon

Aharon Krikheli (1906-1974) was a historian of Georgian Jewry, ethnographer and Zionist activist in Soviet Georgia. In 1934 he established in Tbilisi the History and Ethnographic Museum of the Jews of Georgia. During his activities as the museum director he organized ethnographic expeditions and archeological excavations in different parts of Georgia. Based on findings and collections of the museum, Aharon Krikheli wrote works on the history of Georgia's Jews, which have been translated into various languages. In 1948 he was arrested, charged with Zionist activism and sent to camps for ten years. In 1951 the museum was closed by the Soviet government. In 1954, after Stalin’s death, Aharon Krikheli was released. He wrote a Georgian-Russian-Hebrew dictionary, a Hebrew phrasebook and a Hebrew grammar book. In 1971 he immigrated to Israel and worked at the Centre for Research and Documentation of East European Jewry at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In the early 1970s, he published works on history and life of Jews in Georgia and Armenia, and on anti-Semitism. Aharon Kricheli's personal collection comprises of various documents related to Aharon Kricheli's scientific activities including manuscripts of his books, drafts of his works, articles that were published by him in the press, and papers written about him. The collection contains materials on 18 Georgian Jewish families who sent in 1969 a public petition to the UN with a request to influence the Soviet government to permit them to leave for Israel. The collection also includes correspondence of Aharon Kricheli, his family, and a large collection of photographs on the history of Georgia's Jews, Zionism, and Georgian Jews’ community life in Georgia and Israel -- Read more