(JEWISH GROUP) Irish Jews cry foul over 'antisemitic' president's planned Holocaust memorial speech

Jews in Ireland are up in arms over a planned appearance by Irish President Michael Higgins to mark the country’s Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony later this month.

Higgins has been harshly critical of Israel and has also been accused of downplaying antisemitism and delegitimizing Jewish viewpoints. In December, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar called Higgins an “antisemitic liar” and announced the closure of Israel’s embassy in Dublin.

Higgins is scheduled to speak at the annual Dublin commemoration on January 26, marking his sixth such keynote to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Jewish Chronicle reported.

Ireland’s chief rabbi Yoni Wieder noted that in May, Higgins had dismissed Israeli concerns of rising antisemitism in Ireland as “a PR exercise,” alienating many of the country’s Jews.

“President Higgins has neglected even to acknowledge the scourge of contemporary antisemitism in Ireland, let alone do anything to address it. He has failed to take seriously the concerns put to him by representatives of the Jewish community,” Wieder said in a statement carried by several UK news outlets. “With that attitude, I fear his address marking Holocaust Memorial Day will inevitably ring hollow for many Irish Jews.”

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