Director Lenny Abrahamson to speak at Cork launch of new Irish Jewish arts venture

Tickets are already selling fast for this one.
Oscar-nominated director Lenny Abrahamson will join a selection of international musicians and writers, now mostly resident here, to celebrate Ireland’s Jewish community.
The director, best known for independent films Adam & Paul, Garage, What Richard Did, and Room, as well as the cult TV hit Normal People, will give a live interview at From Kovno to Cobh – the launch of Jewish Arts and Culture Ireland (JACI).
The evening, which will take place at Cork Arts Theatre on Carroll’s Quay on Sunday, February 19th, 2023 at 7pm, will feature poetry, and songs in English, Yiddish (the language of the Jews of Eastern Europe), and Spanish, and instrumental music composed in Ireland, Eastern Europe, America, and London.
A journey in music and words reflecting the immigrant experience from the Irish Jewish immigrants of the 1880s to present day newcomers – featuring live interview with special guest film director Lenny Abrahamson.
Tickets: https://t.co/c1Qubyqosh— Gisela (@dgtuch) January 12, 2023
“Ireland’s Jewish community hail from all corners of the world.” said performer, Crosshaven-based musician Ruti Lachs.
“The biggest wave of Jewish immigration to Ireland began in the late 1800s when over a million Jews left Eastern Europe. At that time, a few families from Lithuania, from the (then) Kovno region, left their villages and boarded ships to seek a better life in Ireland, some eventually docking in (now) Cobh.
“Today many people, Jewish among them, choose Ireland for work or a better way of life. Others, sadly, now arrive on our shores once again in flight from war and oppression.”
Performers on the night will also include Fresh Air Collective, violinist Istvan Barnacz, pianist Brian Connor, and Carlow poet Simon Lewis, who will read from his collection Jewtown, set in Cork.
Tickets are €15 and you can check out the full line-up here.