Ireland’s War with Its Jewish Past

In the Dublin suburb of Rathgar lies Herzog Park, named for the sixth president of Israel, Chaim Herzog—a native of Belfast who was raised in Dublin. Distinguished both as a soldier and a statesman, Herzog served as a British intelligence office in World War II; his son Isaac is Israel’s current president. This small park, it seems, was enough to raise the hackles of Ireland’s anti-Israel fanatics, as a municipal commission moved last week to rename the park, without suggesting a new name. An intervention by the country’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister yesterday appears to have changed opinions, and the Dublin city council is expected to vote against the measure today.