In the late 1800s, a Jewish community formed in Cork City,
which grew to its zenith in the 1930s – 40s. Now, the old synagogue is closed,
and very few are left in Cork of the old community.
Ruti Lachs, musician and member of the new Cork Jewish
Community, will guide you on a one to two-hour walk, taking in the historic –
and more recent – Jewish sites in Cork City, telling stories of the old
community, and playing for you some of klezmer music and Yiddish song, the
music of the Lithuanian Jews who made their home in Cork a hundred and thirty
years ago. There will be plenty of time for questions during the walk.
Depending on your personal requirements, the walk can be extended to include,
for example, Cork music venues, good foodie places, and other sites of
interest.
Ruti has been researching the old community (the
Cork Hebrew Congregation) through interviews with locals and with ex-Cork
residents now scattered worldwide. Her research was collated into two
documentary videos, Cork Jewish Culture Virtual Walk, which won a National
Heritage Week award, and Memories of a Cork Jewish Childhood.
