Memories of Jewish Ireland
Amongst our collection of Jewish Irish artefacts are oral and written testimonies of individual that grew up and lived in the Irish Jewish Commuinties. These histories are a slice of life from a time long past, they are rich, colourful and arouse a range of emotions from the reader.
Here are some audio recordings of Asher Siev, one of the two Siev brothers. These recordings are so vivid and rich and evocative for the listener, that we feel if you were to close your eyes and listen, the imagery and descriptions would lead you to feel like you were right there during the experience.
- Streets of Dublin 00:00
Harry Kernoff, a famous painter depicted Winetavern Street in several of his pieces. In this recording Asher describes what is depicted on these paintings.
- Harry Kernoff 00:00
As was quite common when Asher was growing up, many members of Jewish families lived within close proximity to each other, and as is still common practice people would visit their family for lunch after services. In this audio snippet you can hear about Asher’s Shabbos lunch experience.
- Jewish Grandmothers 00:00
The closing of Adelaide Road Synagogue in 1999 was a hugely significant event for the Irish Jewish community. Hear Cantor Alwyn Shulman and the boys choir here in an audio excerpt from The Last Mitzvah, a film based on the community’s history made by John Cook in 2009.
- Cantor Shulman – Adelaide Road Synagogue closing ceremony 00:00
Chief Rabbi Mirvis at the closing ceremony in Adelaide Road Shul 1999 (an excerpt of video taken from The Last Mizvah, a film by John Cook 2009).
The most important thing is to remember. In this video Hilary Abrahamson shares some recollections about her family and Irish Jewish Life.
The memories shared here, were inspired by items from the museums collection, that Hilary discovered while volunteering.