Is the renaming of Dublin’s Herzog Park antisemitic?

[OpheliaIsntMad]

I think it is . Why make this decision at a time when anti semitism is increasing?

I think it is wrong . It is an insult to his memory and legacy . His accomplishments in Ireland have nothing to do with the current state of Israel .

I disagree with the decision. It's unnecessary and, yes, I think it's antisemitic. I wonder how many of the people who voted the Councillors in agree with it. The politicians in Ireland have made Ireland an uncomfortable place for Jews to live in. It's one thing holding opinions on Israel and Gaza but it's wrong to vilify everyone of the Jewish religion as though they are to blame.

Yes. To conflate the accomplishments of Herzog with what’s happening in 2025 in Israel is flat out racism / antisemitism

It’s good to hear that.
Ireland has had a good reputation in the past for treating people from minority groups fairly. I think that reputation has been badly damaged recently.

Yanbu.

Generally, only something horrific committed by a person would necessitate a name change of a place. For example, a person having been a slave owner.

For a park to be renamed because it is named after a Jew, who believes that Jews have the right to a homeland, is utterly vile.

Ireland has a deserved reputation of being incredibly Anti-Semitic. This will do nothing to help that. It just signals 'Jews are not welcome here'.

You would hope, that with the Irish having historically experienced discrimination, they would have more self-awareness, and not want to be perceived as raging racists on the world stage.

i am very embarrassed by this. Chaim Herzog was born in Belfast, reared in Dublin and spoke fluent Irish. He lived in Ireland until his teens and was connected to the country his whole life.

Dublin City Council has always been left of centre which is in itself unusual in Ireland and they’ve really lost the plot here. It does not have the support of the Irish government.

I suspect this will go nowhere but the damage it has done is immense.

Thanks to your comprehensive OP, I feel more than qualified to answer. Yes. Or no. Maybe both

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz7nv3elxlno.amp

Apologies @beefthief
I meant to provide a link. Hopefully this helps
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz7nv3elxlno.amp

You think all Jews … everywhere …. Past or present …. are responsible for what has happened in Gaza?

That’s the definition of anti semitism

"all Jews... everywhere" is a bit of a leap from a specific individual who was a former President of Israel.

So why do you think it’s ok to remove his name from the park at a time when Jewish people feel particularly vulnerable?

I wasn't aware I had expressed an opinion.

Not at all sure what you mean .
Let’s not stifle conversation. Instead you could explain why you think it’s ok to change the name of this park .

Let me spell this out for you -

Twice, you have stated that I "think it's ok to remove/change the name of this park".

I have said no such thing, or offered any opinion on the matter, so perhaps you should stop making assumptions about people's views when you have nothing whatsoever to base them on.

Probably the genocide

Fair enough. Just not sure why you think it’s relevant that he was a former president of Israel? What’s that got to do with anything?

So … antisemitism then . I thought so.
Thanks for being straightforward and clear.

You can't think of any reason why some countries might be reconsidering public honouring of prominent Israelis?

Exactly the same thing, well done, one hundred points to Gryffindor. You've done me, destroyed me, ruined my arguments. Congratulations, you win. You're the best and tomorrow Israel will hold a little parade to celebrate your impeccable logic.

ps it's the genocide

Chaim Herzog has been dead since 1997. Are we really blaming dead people for the actions of their descendants?

By that logic, we should blame Ronald Reagan for Donald Trump’s actions.

I don't think this is primarily about Chaim Herzog himself, it's about Israel.

Ronald Reagan was hardly faultless, and it's entirely reasonable to suggest Reagan was partly responsible for some of the USA's actions at the time he was US President.

Israel has a decades-long history of contempt for both International Law and Human Rights. This doesn't just stem back to Herzog's time, it predates it all the way back to the advent of the Israeli State. If you continually conduct yourself in similar ways to other pariah states, I don't think it's any wonder then that eventually other nations stop taking your claims to be an upstanding member of the international community on face value, and eventually they begin to view you and treat you in no different a way to they do those other pariah states.

Israel's recent excesses may have served to prompt this change, but it's not as if Israel's reprehensible behaviours only begun in the aftermath of the October 7th attacks. The period since is the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak.

It's worth noting that Ireland has been one of Israel's most strident critics of late. In my opinion it's only natural to expect elected governments to follow public opinion to a degree, and if there is a distaste in the population for honouring prominent members of what is regarded as a pariah state, I'd expect that to be reflected in the decisions then taken.

If the US fell into disrepute in the wider international community to the extent that Israel has, I expect there would likely be people also railing against the honouring or veneration of Ronald Reagan. Some still do anyway, just for slightly different reasons to those related to Israel.

Was he personally responsible for that?

What's next - ending Bloomsday? Because Jewish...

Should we shun all things German? Stop singing the Messiah at Christmas? Forbid all broadcasting of classical.music related to German composers? Boycott VW, BMW, Mercedes, Hugo Boss products, all German pharmaceuticals, all footwear made in Germany, stop teaching German in schools, etc., etc? Because, you know, the genocide...

Or maybe we can ease off the performative virtue signaling shite and remember that Irish Jews are as entitled to live peacefully in Ireland and be honoured for their achievements at home and abroad as all the rest of us are.