[3] The most popular theory on the origins of Georgian Jewry is that the first Jews in Georgia arrived 2600 years ago after escaping Babylonian captivity.
With the exception of a significant number of Hebrew loanwords, the language is reportedly largely mutually intelligible with Georgian.
In the beginning of the late 19th century, there were large Jewish communities across Georgia, including Tbilisi, Kutaisi, and Tskhinvali in South Ossetia.
[3] Small Jewish communities existed across almost every part of Georgia with a synagogue in nearly all villages and cities.
The language has approximately 4,000 speakers in New York and undetermined numbers in other communities in the United States, Russia, Belgium, and Canada.