Travel Deeper: Dublin

After Shabbat I’m off to Dublin to do research for my book. I studied in Dublin for a few months in 2004 at Trinity College Dublin and had an awesome time and a particularly interesting Jewish experience. Though this trip I’m going to spend a lot of time in posh kitchen redecorating shops (long story), I hope to hit Terenure Hebrew Congregation for shacharit one day (I figure if I lay tefillin all the way up on the balcony, I won’t offend any one). There are a bunch of other fun Jew-y things to do in Dublin, though.

First, you really should stop by Terenure Hebrew Congregation. If you’re going to be there for Shabbat let Rabbi Lent, the local Chabad rabbi, know ahead of time, and he’ll almost certainly invite you over for a meal. His family is charming, and you’re sure to get great food. The other must when visiting Dublin is the Jewish Museum. It’s a little disorganized and crowded, but really interesting. You have to check ahead of time to see when it’s open (when it’s not peak tourist season it’s only open on Sundays) but it’s definitely worth a visit, and it’s free (but be ready to be asked to make a donation). When I was living at TCD I used to frequently run into tours of the campus done in Hebrew for various Israeli groups. If you’re interested in such a group, I suggest contacting the Chief Rabbi’s office, and I bet he can put you in touch with the right people. One of the funny things about being in Dublin was how often I heard people speaking Hebrew, and/or ran into obviously frum people on vacation there. Obviously, you can’t plan on this, but if you keep your ears open I guarantee you’ll hear some thick Israeli accents. I found Irish people to feel a strange affection for Jews. When I was in Dublin people were always telling me that “the Irish are the Jews of Europe.” And then I always said, “Actually, the Jews are the Jews of Europe. But yes, we do share a past of persecution and great struggles.” Amazingly, the wonderful book about Ireland, Ireland and the Irish by John Ardagh begins by equating the Irish experience with the Jewish experience:

“Ireland has always been a special case. This green and beautiful island, with its talented, eloquent and wayward people, has frequently aroused strong feelings among foreigners—of romantic affection or plain exasperation. And the Irish themselves have always felt an exceptional patriotism. Like the Jews, they have a huge diaspora. And apart from the Jews there are few other people in the West with so strong a sense of their own identity, even uniqueness.”

Um, okay. Weird, but kind of awesome, right? Anyway, I know Ireland is a strange place to go to feel Jewish, but for some reason it really does work that way.

For further reading on what to do on a trip to Dublin check SomethingJewish’s Jewish Dublin site. The New York Times Magazine did a story on the Irish Jewish community a few years ago, and it’s worth a read. And if you’re feeling brave, try reading Ulysses, whose protagonist is identified as Jewish and takes place in Dublin.