Friday, March 17, 2023
Dublin Orthodox synagogue goes on sale for £6.6 million
Dublin's Orthodox synagogue, Terenure, has been put up for sale for €7.5 million (£6.62 million). But the president of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, Maurice Cohen, insists the move does not reflect diminishing Jewish life in the Republic.
Although the breakdown of religions from the latest Irish Census is awaited, Mr Cohen anticipates the figure for the Jewish community will exceed the 2,557 recorded in 2016, itself an increase of 28.9 per cent on the 2011 figure of 1,984. And as he points out, not everyone declares their religion on the census form.
He believes a more accurate gauge of the community's well-being is its Stratford schools in Dublin, where around 30 Jewish teens attend Stratford College and 50 are enrolled at the Stratford National School, its primary section.
Mr Cohen added that other signs of communal health are small but growing groups in Cork, Galway and Limerick, which gather to hold services or hook up online with other communities.
In Dublin, he estimates that Terenure (Dublin Hebrew Congregation) and the Progressive shul each involve around 200 people. Terenure has acquired smaller premises to cater for its longer-term needs. The congregation runs a kosher shop and kosher options in the city will imminently be boosted by the opening of a Chabad centre, incorporating a deli and restaurant.
Some Jewish newcomers had moved because of Brexit. "Israelis are coming because of high tech. They like Ireland, they like their jobs. The only problem is that housing is expensive and difficult to come by."
New arrivals might not join a shul but some attend festival celebrations and social events, connecting through Facebook or community pages.
"On my travels, I find people always talk about the same thing — how we define Jewish life today. There are those who still feel it's about shul-going.
"Others think that going to services is not how people treat religion. It's not who is a Jew but what is a Jew and what makes a Jewish community." To this end, a Jewish arts and culture programme is being developed, Mr Cohen reported.
And Dublin's Jewish Museum was "a huge asset to the community — a great way of explaining what Jews are about to schoolchildren and the general public".
There has also been an influx of 80 Ukrainian Jews, who are housed around the country. "A few are being hosted — it wasn't for the want of offers. The main aim is to get them their own accommodation."
Having chaired the representative council for almost ten years, Mr Cohen is "desperately looking to replace myself. I'm implementing a plan for a job share."
Succession issues were widespread, another example being three Stratford school trustees with a combined service of around 130 years stepping down.
"But the seeds are there of younger people wanting to take responsibility."
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