The Irish jewish museum

Located in Dublin’s Portobello district, the Irish Jewish Museum is a rather discreet museum dedicated to the history of Jews in Ireland over the centuries. Housed in an old Georgian house in Dublin’s Portobello district, the site takes you right to the heart of this community, where you can discover its history, its most influential members… etc.

Visit the Irish jewish museum

A museum that pays tribute to Dublin’s Jewish community

Admittedly, the Jewish community in Ireland is fairly small compared with the rest of Europe (especially as the island is predominantly Catholic or Protestant).

But the museum helps to keep in mind that Ireland remains a multi-confessional society.

The museum, though modest, is a vast collection of photos, newspaper clippings and everyday objects donated by Jewish families from around the country. The site offers several showcases, with a historical overview of Ireland’s Jews, their traditions and so on.

You’ll learn that the history of the Jewish community in Ireland dates back to the Middle Ages, when Jewish traders settled in the country. However, the Jewish community as we know it today emerged mainly from the 19ᵉ century onwards, with the arrival of immigrants fleeing the pogroms in Eastern Europe. At its peak in the 1940s, Dublin’s Jewish community numbered around 5,000.

Historical artifacts, poignant photographs and archival documents trace the history of the Jews in Ireland, from their earliest settlements to their significant contribution to the country’s cultural, economic and political life.

One of the most poignant sections of the museum is dedicated to the history of the Goldberg family, an Irish Jewish family famous for their role in the community and their contribution to various aspects of Irish society. Interactive exhibits allow visitors to immerse themselves in personal stories and experiences. The result is an intimate insight into daily life and the challenges faced by the Jewish community over the years.

You’ll also learn more about Chaïm Herzog (1918-1997), an Irish Jew from Belfast, who lived in Dublin before becoming the sixth president of the State of Israel.

A display case is also dedicated to anti-Semitism and the Second World War. A way of raising visitors’ awareness of this dark episode in history (even if Irish Jews were relatively spared compared with other European Jews).

In short, it’s an interesting museum that sheds light on Dublin’s sometimes little-known community. The museum has a synagogue on the first floor, and is still a cultural meeting place for the Jewish community.