Only a small handful of Jews live in Cork, Ireland, but there is an old Jewish neighborhood still known as “Jew town.” This Hanukkah, New Zealand artist Maddie Leach created an art installation to recall the former Jewish presence.
As reported by Brian O’Connell in the Irish Times, Jew town
refers to lanes of small red brick houses near Albert Road, on the south side of Cork city, where upwards of 60 Jewish families settled during the 19th century. Of these only three or so remain, and the Jewish community in Cork is now struggling to hold on to and maintain its property and religious buildings.
Leach’s installation is entitled Evening Echo, and involves a system of nine lamps placed in Shalom Park. They will be lit in sequence on the last night of Hanukkah — and according to the article, it is envisaged that the event will take place annually for the coming 50 years!