Jewish immigrants arrived in America in the latter part of the nineteenth century, primarily from Eastern Europe. In the big cities where they settled they encountered large enclaves of Irish Americans, themselves immigrants or the children of those who had arrived earlier from Ireland. Those Irish Americans served as the Jews’ models of what it meant to be a looked down upon ethnic group which endeavored to stand up for its rights and dignity.

The Irish held the reins of power on several key American institutions which the Jews needed to secure their place and livelihoods in their new American home. In urban politics, public education, and the labor movement, Irish Americans saw it in their own interests to open the door to these Jewish newcomers, knocking on the door— metaphorically — to carve out for themselves secure and stable lives.

Hasia Diner is Professor Emerita, New York University where she was the Paul S. and Sylvia Steinberg Professor of American Jewish History, with a joint appointment in the History Department and the Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies.

She served as the Interim Director of Glucksman Ireland House. Dr. Diner has been a scholar of American Jewish history, American immigration history, the history of American women, and Irish American history, all of which were the subjects of books that she wrote.

A recipient of both a Fulbright award and a Guggenheim fellowship, she is the author of numerous books, two of which won National Jewish Book awards. 

Dr. Diner's book Opening Doors will be available for signature and sale at the lecture courtesy of Charter Books. Cost is $30. Also available will be Erin's Daughters in America: Irish Immigrant Women in the Nineteenth Century for $34.

Dr. Diners's lecture will also be live-streamed via Zoom free of charge.

Last weekend of 2024 to visit

The Museum of Newport Irish History will be open Oct. 24, 25, 26 & 27 then close for the season.

Exhibits feature the stories of Irish immigration to Newport County from the colonial era to the present day and contributions made to the local community by individuals of Irish descent. There are maps, photographs, videos, and artifacts, including some from the construction of Fort Adams, which was built with Irish immigrant labor.

648 Thames Street

Thursday - Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

The Museum of Newport Irish History was established in 1996. Its mission is to tell the story of the Irish immigrants and their descendants in Newport County and the surrounding area from the colonial era to the present. It also seeks to preserve artifacts and mementos relating to their experiences and facilitate research on Irish history and heritage.