Rabbi Yoni Wieder was inaugurated as Chief Rabbi of Ireland on the evening of May 21, 2024, at a Dublin synagogue, in a ceremony attended by over 400 guests. Photo: Taryn Barling

Rabbi Yoni Wieder was inaugurated as Chief Rabbi of Ireland on Tuesday evening at a Dublin synagogue, in a ceremony attended by over 400 guests, including politicians, diplomats, and religious leaders. His appointment comes amid shifting demographics within the local Jewish community and broader political tensions between Ireland and Israel.

British Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, who previously held the position in Ireland, officiated at the event, describing Wieder and his wife Olivia as key figures in revitalizing Jewish life in Dublin. Wieder noted the recent influx of Israeli families moving to the city for work in the technology sector, contributing to what he described as a “renaissance” in community engagement.

Wieder also addressed growing unease among Irish Jews over the strong anti-Israel stance taken by many political figures, NGOs, and media organizations. Wieder, who has been an outspoken critic of Irish political leaders over their response to the Israel-Hamas conflict, noted that longtime members of the community, who have been both deeply engaged in Jewish life and active contributors to Irish society, increasingly feel caught between these two identities. 

“Week after week I speak to senior members of this community, at once so proud in their Judaism and in their place within Irish society, who for decades have never ceased to be loyal and to contribute exceptionally to this country,” he said. “And who now tell me that never before have they felt such a tension between those two identities. Never before have they felt their viewpoint as Jewish people be so delegitimized.”

Andrew Barling, chairman of the Dublin Hebrew Congregation, emphasized Wieder’s “capacity for leadership” during the “darkest times” following the Hamas-led attacks across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The event also featured a video address from Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who has personal ties to Ireland’s Jewish history, describing Wieder’s appointment as a significant moment for the community.

Irish Chief Rabbi Yoni Wieder, left, with British Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis. Photo: Taryn Barling

Wieder, 28, follows a precedent set by Mirvis and Lord Immanuel Jacobovitz, who both took the role at the same age. Originally from London, he studied in Jerusalem before earning his rabbinic ordination and pursuing academic research in Jewish law. In addition to his rabbinic duties, he leads the Dublin Hebrew Congregation, oversees Jewish education at Stratford College, and manages Ireland’s Kashrut Commission.

The timing of the inauguration was notable, coinciding with Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris’s announcement of Ireland’s formal recognition of a Palestinian state. The decision prompted Israel to recall Dana Ehrlich, its ambassador from Dublin who was in attendance at the inauguration. 

The event brought together figures from across religious communities, including Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Dermot Farrell, Church of Ireland Archbishop Michael Jackson, and Shaykh Umar Al-Qadri, Chief Imam of the Islamic Centre of Ireland, reflecting the interfaith dimensions of Wieder’s role.