December 1, 2025
American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomes the move by the Dublin City Council to withdraw a proposal to rename Herzog Park, which honors Chaim Herzog, the sixth president of Israel and a proud son of Ireland.
We urge the Council to make permanent its decision to retain the Herzog Park name and call on leaders across Ireland to embrace a more complex and pluralistic national story.
Initial support by most Council Members to replace his name with something like “Free Palestine Park" reflected a troubling willingness to target Jewish history as a proxy for Middle East politics. Naming a park after Herzog was never about political posturing. It was a deserved honor for an Irish-born leader, who carried Ireland’s values onto the world stage.
Sympathizing with the plight of Palestinians and recognizing Irish Jewish heritage are not mutually exclusive. The Council can champion both without erasing Jewish history.
AJC immediately mobilized upon learning of the proposed renaming, strongly opposing the plan and advocating for the preservation of Jewish heritage. AJC has long stood with Ireland’s small but proud Jewish community, which has faced a surge in antisemitism since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.
We have met with Irish government leaders, including Prime Minister Micheál Martin, to foster a constructive dialogue with Ireland’s Jews and to address the country’s strong animus toward Israel.
