Éamon de Valera Forest

Éamon de Valera Forest (Hebrew: יער איימון דה ואלירה) is a forest in Israel, near Nazareth. It was planted in 1966 and named after American-born Irish politician and statesman Éamon de Valera.

History

The planting and dedication of the forest was arranged by the Dublin Jewish community, in recognition of de Valera's consistent support for Ireland's Jews.[1] In the 1937 Constitution of Ireland, the drafting of which was personally supervised by de Valera, Jews were specifically given constitutional protection. This was considered to be a necessary component to the constitution by de Valera because of the treatment of Jews elsewhere in Europe at the time.[2]

In 1948 de Valera overruled the Department of Justice when it barred 150 Jewish children from travelling to Ireland as refugees.[3]

During its dedication to de Valera, Israeli Prime Minister Levi Eshkol read out loud a message to honour the occasion and Ireland-Israel relations in general, saying that the Jews and Irish both "have so much in common."[4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Tracy, Robert (Summer 1999). "The Jews of Ireland". Judaism: A Quarterly Journal of Jewish Life and Thought. 48 (3). American Jewish Congress. Retrieved 6 June 2026 – via Gale Literature Resource Center.
  2. ↑ "McCaffrey, Carmel (2007). In Search of Ireland's Heroes: The Story of the Irish from the English Invasion to the Present Day'. Ivan R. Dee.
  3. ↑ "Ireland". Institute for Jewish Policy Research and American Jewish Committee. Archived from the original on 21 November 2007. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  4. ↑ "Irish Jews Dedicate Forest in Israel in Tribute to De Valera". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 22 August 1966. Retrieved 28 December 2021.

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