The proposed removal of the name Herzog is an unalloyed broadside by a body of the Irish establishment against the Jewish community in Ireland, dictating which Irish Jews are acceptable to the contemporary Irish polity and people. The message to Jews is clear: we wish to erase you and your history. Will we be banned from using the park or just from sitting on its benches? This motion brought before Dublin City Council represents nothing more than performative protest, the antithesis of what is needed today in Ireland: consultation, dialogue and empathy. This kind of reckless discrimination pushes a wedge even further between the Jewish community and wider society.
