Georgian Jews were always in the vanguard wherever they lived due to their progressive ideas and high moral qualities. History presents shining examples of how our ancestors succeeded in preserving and passing over through generations the best qualities of the Hebrew soul, the faith, and the sanctity of family.

The revival of national self-consciousness was sparked off by such memorable events as the Six-Day War, the first instances of repatriation such as that of three Mikhelashvili brothers, the appeal to the United Nations written by 18 Georgian Jews, and the unbelievably brave hunger protest of Jews in the center of Soviet Moscow. Without any exaggeration, these events catalyzed the processes that resulted in the Aliah of the 70s, which initiated the subsequent Great Aliah from the Soviet Union.

We think it appropriate to present here a list of 18 Jews from Georgia who wrote the above-mentioned appeal to the United Nations:

from Poti	Khaim Mikhelashvili	from Kutaisi	Shabtai Elashvili
from Poti	Albert Mikhelashvili	from Kutaisi	Mikhael Elashvili
from Poti	Aaron Mikhelashvili	from Kutaisi	Israel Elashvili
from Kutaisi	Khaim Tetruashvili	from Kutaisi	Yakob Eluashvili
from Kutaisi	Isro Tsitsuashvili	from Kutaisi	Mordecai Khikhinashvili
from Kutaisi	Efrem Tsitsuashvili	from Kutaisi	Mikhael Chikvashvili
from Tbilisi	Bentsion Yakobashvili	from Kutaisi	Moshe Chikvashvili
from Kutaisi	Mikhael Batonishvili	from Kutaisi	Mikhael Beberashvili
from Kutaisi	Mikhael Tetruashvili	from Kutaisi	Yakob Elashvili