A municipal board in Dublin has authorized massive expansion of the city’s Jewish museum despite opposition by many residents.

The Irish Jewish Museum requested permission to demolish five houses, including an old synagogue, the Irish Independent reported Monday.

Local residents had expressed concern about traffic congestion in the area as the museum’s visitor numbers are projected to increase five-fold to 50,000 a year.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Residents have set up a group called “Save the Streets of Portobello” to lead the campaign against the museum’s expansion. On Monday, the group’s Facebook page was updated with a message reading: “We are devastated. The inspectors report is due on Thursday.”

Residents also said they are baffled that the plans got the go-ahead, saying many experts have called the scheme “totally flawed.”

The planning board ruled that the plan will not injure the residential amenities and one of the conditions includes the reinstatement of the original synagogue interior.

The Irish Jewish Museum management said in a statement that they are very pleased with the decision, with board member Edwin Alkin stating that the plans are necessary for the museum to become an “educational center and beacon for tolerance.”

Museum management also said they wish to maintain a good relationship with the local community.

The museum was opened in June 1985 inside a former synagogue that was built in 1917 in the Portobello area, which used to be home to a large Jewish population. Many Dublin Jews have since moved to suburban areas or emigrated.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re near the end of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount