Israeli concern over proposed renaming of Dublin park

The Office of the President of Israel has expressed concern over the proposed renaming of Herzog Park in south Dublin.

The park, in Rathgar, was named after Belfast-born and Dublin-raised Chaim Herzog, a former president of Israel, in 1995.

On Monday, Dublin city councillors will vote on a motion to rename the park.

An agreement by members of the council’s Commemorations and Naming Committee last July recommended to the full council the removal of the Herzog name from the park. There was one objection.

In a statement on X on Saturday, the office of current Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who is Chaim Herzog’s son, said it was following reports of the proposal “with concern” and that removing the name would be “shameful and disgraceful”.

It said that the move would harm “the unique expression of the historical connection between the Irish and Jewish peoples”.

“Beyond being an Israeli leader, Chaim Herzog was also a hero of the campaign to liberate Europe from the Nazis and a figure who dedicated his life to establishing the values of freedom, tolerance, the pursuit of peace, and the fight against antisemitism,” the statement adds.

“His father, Rabbi Isaac HaLevi Herzog, served as the first chief rabbi of the Irish Free State and left a significant mark on the life of the Irish nation in those days.

“Naming the park after his son some three decades ago expressed appreciation for his legacy and the deep friendship between the Irish and Jewish peoples.

“Unfortunately, this relationship has deteriorated in recent years, yet we still hope for the recovery of these important ties.”

Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) Simon Harris said he completely opposes plans to rename the park.

“It is wrong. We are an inclusive republic,” he said on social media.

“This proposal is offensive to that principle. I urge all party leaders to join me in opposition to this.”

Ireland’s foreign affairs minister, Helen McEntee, also urged councillors to vote against the name change.

“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,” she said in a statement.

“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.”

The Jewish Representative Council of Ireland (JRCI) has also described the move as “deeply concerning”, Irish broadcaster RTÉ has reported.

Chair of the JRCI Maurice Cohen called on councillors to reject the motion, saying the “removal of the Herzog name from this park would be widely understood as an attempt to erase our Irish Jewish history”.

A motion regarding the name of the park was first raised in December 2024 by Labour Party councillor Fiona Connelly, who sought a report on the process that was taken in naming it.

She said she had been informed that the park’s naming did not follow the correct procedures.

People Before Profit councillor Conor Reddy also raised the issue in January and sought information about the protocols for renaming the park.

In 2014, a blue plaque marking Chaim Herzog’s north Belfast birthplace was taken down out of concern for staff and residents living in adjoining premises.

Anti-Israeli graffiti was daubed on the building, objects thrown, and an attempt made to remove the plaque.

Chaim Herzog was born in Belfast in 1918 but his family eventually emigrated to the Middle East.

He held a number of positions in the newly-created state of Israel in 1948, including ambassador to the United Nations. He served as president from 1983 to 1993.

Last year, Israel’s foreign minister announced that the country’s embassy in Dublin would close over “the extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish government”.

Former Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Simon Harris said the decision was “deeply regrettable”. He also rejected that Ireland is anti-Israel.

The move followed Ireland’s announcement of its support for South Africa’s legal action against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing the country of “genocide”, and the recognition of a Palestinian state alongside Norway and Spain..

The current military campaign in Gaza began following a Hamas-led attack on Israel 7 October 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were abducted.

Israel responded by launching ground and air strikes which have led to more than 70,000 deaths so far, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.

In September, the world’s leading association of genocide scholars declared that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, which the Israeli government denies.

At the time, the UN and some Western nations said that they would only consider a ruling by a court that genocide is taking place as authoritative.