The Charlotte Jewish News -November 2005 - Page 13
The Jewish Traveler
By Maxine Silverstein
Dublin, Ireland
Ireland has always been a coun
try I have wanted to visit, but I had
never had the right opportunity.
This past July, Gary and I were
invited to the
American Express
Representative
Awards in Kenmare,
Ireland. Our travel
agency, Mann Travel
and Cruises, was
being presented with
an award from
American Express.
We both felt that this
was the perfect oppor
tunity to travel to this
beautiful country. Our
fabulous trip lasted
for two weeks. We
started in Shannon
and stayed in Drombland
Castle, and continued on to
Kenmare for our meeting.
From there, we went to
Northern Ireland, staying in
Derry and Belfast, and ended
with a stay in Dublin. It was
an incredible trip filled with
wonderful sightseeing,
delightful people and deli
cious gourmet meals (not just
Irish stew and potatoes). This
amazing country is definitely
one of my top travel destinations.
We thoroughly enjoyed every
minute of this trip.
It’s nearly impossible for first
time visitors to appreciate just
how far Dublin has come in a very
short time. Natives to the city who
left years ago and have returned
great way to see the sights.
While Ireland is not an obvious
destination for those interested in
Jewish culture, the island does
Maxine. Gary and friends at a pub.
Maxine at Irish Jewish Museum
cannot believe their eyes. Their
beloved, if slightly down-at-the-
heels, hometown has changed into
a place filled with trendy coffee
shops and juice bars, fusion cui
sine restaurants, minimalist interi
ors, designer boutiques and
expensive car dealerships. In the
late 1990s, Ireland had the fastest
growing economy in the European
Union and continues to thrive eco
nomically. Dublin, as the Republic
of Ireland’s capital, is the epicen
ter of the boom. Compared to
other European capitals, Dublin is
a relatively small metropolis, so it
is very easy to get around. Public
transportation is good and getting
better; taxis are plentiful and rea
sonably priced. Central Dublin is
quite walkable. In fact, with its
current traffic and parking prob
lems, we found walking to be a
Irish Jewish Museum
offer a few surprises. Ireland’s
Jewish population has never been
higher than 8000, which was in
the late 1940s. Today, it is down to
under 2000, of which 1500 are in
the Republic of Ireland. Between
the end of the Napoleonic Wars
and the start of the twentieth cen
tury, pogroms drove Jews to
Ireland from Central Europe,
especially from Lithuania. Some
of those who did not continue on
to the Americas settled in Irish
towns, built synagogues, opened
kosher butcher shops, and created,
close-knit communities. The most
important of them was located
around Dublin’s South Circular
Road. Jews became prominent in
public life. A famous name in
Dublin is the Herzog family. After
occupying the highest religious
positions in Ireland, Rabbi Isaac
Herzog became the first chief
rabbi of the fledgling state of
Israel. His son Chaim, who was
bom in Belfast and raised in
Dublin, became the sixth presi
dent of the Jewish state. Today, the
Dublin rabbinate’s offices are still
at Herzog House, on Zion Road.
We were able to visit the Irish
Jewish Museum located in an old
synagogue on Walworth Road.
This place of worship was the cen
ter of Jewish life in the capital
until the movement out to the sub
urbs. A gradual shrinking of the
population led to the synagogue’s
closure in the 1970s. It houses
archives and objects and depicts
the distinctive characteristics of
the community. On the first floor,
visitors can admire a kitchen
ready for a typical Shabbat at the
turn of the twentieth century. On
the second floor, one can admire
the well-preserved synagogue.
Three active synagogues remain
in the Dublin area.
We loved exploring Dublin and
found Temple Bar to be our
favorite place. This area is called
Dublin’s Left Bank and is filled
with charming pubs, art galleries,
music shops, vintage clothing
stores, great restaurants and lots
of interesting sights. It is very
easy to get around and lots of
fun to explore. We found some
incredible restaurants located
here. Eden was one of our
favorites; it is one of Temple
Bar’s hippest eateries. Eden is a
cool minimalist dining room
with an open kitchen area. The
food was international and tast
ed great. Jacob’s Ladder was
our other favorite restaurant. It
is known for modem Irish cui
sine, great value and terrific
service. The seafood was fresh
and delicious. The shopping in
Dublin was wonderful, but expen
sive. Ireland is known the world
over for its handmade products
and fine craftsmanship. Dublin is
a one-stop source for the country’s
best wares. The hub of shopping is
Grafton Street crowned by the
city’s most fashionable depart
ment store. Brown Thomas. You
must visit some pubs while in
Ireland. The pub continues to be
the mainstay of Irish social life.
With more than 10,000 specimens
throughout the country, there are
pubs in every city, town and ham
let. Everyone has a favorite.
We’re so glad that we got to
visit this fabulous country, but by
far the very best part of our trip
was all the wonderful Irish people
that we met. Now we can’t wait to
go back again. 4*
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