Moshe (Mishiko) Mirilashvili

​Moshe (Mishiko) Mirilashvili was born on November 1, 1942, in Kulashi, Georgia. His parents, Gavriel and Tamar Mirilashvili, the owners of a large textile factory in Kulashi, were the most distinguished members of their local Jewish community. The Mirilashvilis utilized their wealth to support the impoverished, welcoming needy Jews as a family into their home. From an early age, Mishiko and his siblings were raised with a deep love for humanity and the importance of doing charity with discretion, without fanfare.

Moshe Mirilashvili studied in local schools, graduated with honors, and at the age of 18, married Dodo Botarshvili, the daughter of Hannah Botarshvili and Ilya Botarshvili, an acclaimed doctor. When Mishiko was only 18, his father, Gavriel, passed away. Mishiko undertook the burden of assuming his father's business to support the family, demonstrating remarkable wisdom, talent, and business acumen. At the same time, he graduated from the Georgia Technical University Faculty of Textile and began working as the chief engineer in the factory. In 1960, with the merging of the two textile plants in the city, the factory became one of the largest in the country, employing almost 1,000 workers. In the 1990s, Mirilashvili and his family moved to St. Petersburg, where he expanded his business dealings. During this period, Mirilashvili also deepened his connection with the Jewish People and the State of Israel and learned about the significance of aliyah, which inspired the family's relocation to Israel. In January 2003, Moshe Mirilashvili founded the World Jewish Congress of Georgian Jewry. He was elected to serve as its president, a position that he maintained until his passing, and contributed generously to the Jewish communities in Georgia. He was constantly engaged in acts of kindness and charity in public and private throughout his life. Moshe Mirilashvili passed away on April 10, 2009. He was buried in the New Cemetery in Lod, alongside his spiritual guide and dear friend, Chacham Rephael Elashvili, zt"l, the former Chief Rabbi of Georgia. His sudden death was deeply mourned by Georgian Jewry worldwide.

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