Plans to remove the name of a former president of Israel from a public park in Rathgar, south Dublin, are to be suspended following a weekend of national and international pressure on Dublin City Council.
Herzog Park was named in 1995 in honour of Belfast-born Chaim Herzog, Israel’s president from 1983 to 1993, who spent his early childhood in Dublin when his father was chief rabbi of Ireland.
A recommendation by the council’s cross-party commemorations committee to remove the Herzog name from the park was be put to councillors for approval on Monday evening.
However on Sunday evening, council chief executive Richard Shakespeare said he was proposing to withdraw the item from Monday’s agenda and refer it back to the commemorations committee, because the correct legislative procedures had not been followed.
READ MORE
“On behalf of the Executive of the City Council, I wish to apologise for this administrative oversight. A detailed review of the administrative mis-steps will now be undertaken and a report furnished to the Lord Mayor and councillors,” Mr Shakespeare said in a statement.
The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Fine Gael’s Ray McAdam, said the council executive had “completely messed up” by allowing the item on the agenda.
“We cannot have a situation where reports are debated that are not legally sound,” he said. It is understood the name removal should have been subject to a public consultation and a ballot.
[ Herzog Park denaming ‘will be seen as anti-Semitic’, says TaoiseachOpens in new window ]
The issue would, however, be addressed at the start of tomorrow’s council meeting, Mr McAdam said, “because it is inexcusable and unacceptable. The elected members should never be left in this position. Quite frankly there should have been much more homework done [by the executive],” he said.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin on Sunday said the proposal to rename Herzog Park “should be withdrawn in its entirety and not proceeded with”, while Tánaiste Simon Harris, in a social media post said: “It is wrong. We are an inclusive Republic. This proposal is offensive to that principle.”
Chief Rabbi Yoni Wieder said to remove the name “Herzog” from the park would be a shameful erasure of Irish–Jewish history.
A representative cross-party committee of the council last July agreed, with one objection, to recommend to the full council the removal of the Herzog name from the park. It also agreed a consultation process be undertaken to determine an appropriate new name.
Members of the commemorations committee, which meets privately, who supported the denaming were: Gayle Ralph (Fine Gael); Deirdre Heney (Fianna Fáil); Donna Cooney (Green Party) chairwoman of the committee; Mícheál Mac Donncha (Sinn Féin); Ciarán Ó Meachair (SF); Cieran Perry (Independent); Mannix Flynn (Ind); Vincent Jackson (Ind); Nial Ring (Ind); and Conor Reddy (People Before Profit).
Labour’s Dermot Lacey opposed the proposal. He explained on Saturday he had a “consistent policy against denaming and renaming”.
He emphasised this stance did not relate to his position on Israel’s war in Gaza. “I accept that it is a genocide, I believe the behaviour of the Israeli government is disgraceful, disgusting and unacceptable.”
Three members were absent from the committee for the vote Ray Cunningham (Green), Clodagh Ní Muirí (Fine Gael) and Jesslyn Henry (Social Democrats).
On Sunday, Mr Mac Donncha said the Sinn Féin group of nine councillors would be voting for the name removal. “Opposition to a genocide being carried out by the state of Israel is being conflated with anti-Semitism, which is of course a completely different thing,” he said.
In relation to the Yitzhak Herzog, Chiam Hertzog’s father being “affectionately known as the ‘Sinn Féin Rabbi’ ”, Mr Mac Donnacha said: “the park wasn’t named after his dad”.
However he said, “Obviously there is a very significant history of the Jewish community in Dublin and Ireland, and a very positive history. Many played a positive role in the struggle for independence, that’s fully acknowledged, and I don’t think this [name] change in any way diminishes that”.
Mr Cooney said there was nothing anti-Semitic in the committee’s recommendation. “I don’t want this in any way to reflect badly on our cross-party committee which makes considered and thoughtful decisions.
“There is absolutely nothing anti-Jewish about our committee or, I don’t think, Dublin City Council, and there is no intention here whatsoever to offend anyone in the Jewish community.
“I’ve got Jewish relations in the US. I would not be offending any people from a Jewish background,” she said.
The Independent group which includes councillors Perry, Flynn, Jackson and Ring, also rejected accusations of anti-Semitism which were it said a “disservice to Jews suffering actual anti-Semitism”.
Independent group leader Mr Perry said: “with the Israeli forces continuing their murderous campaign in Gaza, despite a so-called ceasefire, the Independent councillors believe the renaming of the park would, in a small but meaningful way, highlight the Irish people’s revulsion, disgust and horror at the indiscriminate murder of over 70,000 children, women and men in Gaza.”
Councillors Ralph and Heney have both reversed their decision made at the naming committee said they would vote against the denaming. Social Democrats said it was still considering its position.
