Taoiseach: Proposal to rename Herzog Park 'divisive and wrong'
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the proposal to rename the park: 'Is a denial of our history and will without any doubt be seen as antisemitic.'
A proposal to rename Herzog Park in Dublin “should be withdrawn in its entirety and not proceeded with”, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said.
The Office of the President of Israel expressed concern on Saturday over the proposed renaming of the park in south Dublin.
It is named after Chaim Herzog, who was was born in Belfast and raised in Dublin. He was the sixth president of Israel between 1983 and 1993.
On Monday, Dublin city councillors are expected to vote on a motion to rename the park.
In a statement on Sunday, Mr Martin said the proposal was “divisive and wrong”.
“The proposal is a denial of our history and will without any doubt be seen as antisemitic.
“It is overtly divisive and wrong. Our Irish Jewish community’s contribution to our country’s evolution in its many forms should always be cherished and generously acknowledged.”
The Taoiseach added: “This motion must be withdrawn and I ask all on Dublin City Council to seriously reflect on the implications of this move.”
Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty told RTÉ’s programme that Monday’s motion at council will be going ahead.
“This is a community response, it has cross-party support and it is the community standing up and saying we want to take action," said Mr Doherty.
In a statement on X, the office of current Israeli president Isaac Herzog, the son of Chaim Herzog, said if the council went ahead with the proposal, it would be a “shameful and disgraceful move”.
“We are following with concern the reports from Ireland regarding the intention to harm the legacy of the sixth president of the state of Israel, the late Chaim Herzog, as well as harming the unique expression of the historical connection between the Irish and Jewish peoples," it said.
“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 anti-semitism.
“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.”
The statement said the relationship had “deteriorated in recent years”.
“We hope that the legacy of a figure at the forefront of establishing the relations between Israel and Ireland, and the fight against anti-semitism and tyranny, will still get the respect it deserves today.”
Tánaiste Simon Harris said in a social media post: “I completely oppose plans to rename Herzog Park.
“It is wrong. We are an inclusive Republic. This proposal is offensive to that principle. I urge all party leaders to join me in opposition to this.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee, said Chaim Herzog is an important figure for many people, “particularly for members of Ireland’s Jewish community”.
“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.”
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