Ireland's foreign minister Helen McEntee has called for the name of the sixth president of Israel, Chaim Herzog, not to be removed from a park in the capital Dublin.
"Herzog Park is named for Chaim Herzog who was born in Belfast and grew up in Dublin. He went on to be President of Israel and his son currently holds that office. His father was Chief Rabbi of Ireland for many years," she wrote. "He is an important figure for many people, particularly for members of Ireland’s Jewish community. I think we should be clear about this."
"The Government has been openly critical of the policies and actions of the government of Israel in Gaza and the West Bank, and rightly so," McEntee noted. Still, she insisted the move was misplaced. "Renaming a Dublin park in this way - to remove the name of an Irish Jewish man - has nothing to do with this and has no place in our inclusive republic. In my view this name change should not proceed and I urge Dublin City Councillors to vote against it."
Ireland's Chief Rabbi Yoni Wieder also condemned the decision, saying that "Herzog Park is more than a name on a sign. For those who live nearby, and especially for the neighbouring Jewish families and schools, it’s a place filled with memory, and an important reminder that our community has deep roots in Dublin."
"Chaim Herzog was shaped by this city, and he loved it in return. Dubliners loved him too, not only his childhood friend President Cearbhall O’Dálaigh, but all who saw in him a local boy who rose to become a head of state and yet never lost his connection to Ireland."
"The country took great pride in the fact that he was the only visiting head of state who spoke fluent Irish. To remove this name would be to erase a central piece of Irish-Jewish history, and send a painful message of isolation to our small community."