Georgian lecturer of Yiddish language wins British Polonsky Prize in Jewish Studies

Lasha Shakulashvili, a lecturer of Yiddish language and culture at Tbilisi State University, has been awarded the annual British Polonsky prize in Jewish Studies, the University announced on Monday.

Shakulashvili was nominated for the award by the Tbilisi-based University’s bachelor’s programme in Jewish Studies and the School of Rare Jewish Languages at the University of Oxford.

Founded in 2004, the Polonsky Prize for creativity and originality in humanistic disciplines is granted for scientists developing the field of Hebrew studies. 

As a visiting researcher at the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem, Shakulashvili develops Georgian-language educational materials in Jewish Studies. 

His works include a translation of a play by the Ukrainian-born American Jewish writer Jacob Gordin that was used for a production that marked the opening of the restored Yiddish Theatre in Tbilisi this year.