The Israeli Ambassador to Ireland has backed the call by members of the Jewish community who have asked President Michael D Higgins not to attend this year’s Holocaust Memorial Day service.

Representatives of the Jewish community had previously asked the President not to attend amid claims he has ‘lost their confidence’ following his past criticism of Israel.

Holocaust Awareness Ireland founder Oliver Sears previously told Newstalk Breakfast that Jewish people “get criticism all day, everyday” about events in the Middle East and that they would like just one hour every year to focus on their “private grief”.

Dana Erlich told The Pat Kenny Show that the President’s presence would distract from the ceremony.

“I [at first] thought that it is appropriate for the highest representative to speak but unfortunately, what we have seen since then is the legitimate concerns of the Jewish community,” she said.

“The media coverage of it shows that this is taking any focus or importance from the actual event – people forget that we need to talk about Holocaust remembrance, Holocaust education, especially in a year like this.

“What I ask is for the organisers and the President; the Office of the President, to reconsider this just in light of the current atmosphere.”

Ambassador also not invited

Ambassador Erlich said that she had also not been invited to the event this year.

“Until now, also every year, the representative of Israel – the Ambassador – speaks at the event,” she said.

“This year, I was not invited to speak, which is another question that I’m raising, especially at a year like this.

“One cannot dismiss the connection between the Holocaust and the state of Israel and yet, as a representative of Isreal, I was not invited to speak.

“So, I am asking the organisers of the event about the decisions that they are making.”

Event organiser Holocaust Education Ireland responded to the Ambassador's claim that she had not been invited to the Memorial Day Commemoration in a statement:

"The Ambassador of Israel to Ireland Dana Erlich was sent a letter of invitation on 03 December 2024 to attend the National Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration at the Round Room at the Mansion House on the 26 January 2025 from 3-5 PM," the statement reads.

Image shows Israeli embassy, Photo: Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland

Ambassador Erlich also defended the IDF’s continued bombardment of the Gaza strip during the delay in the enactment of the ceasefire agreement.

“The agreement had not come into force because Hamas was still prolonging it and not agreeing to the different conditions of the agreement,” she said.

Ambassador Erlich said that it was Hamas’ fault that there had not been a truce until now.

Palestinian prisoners

She also criticised the Irish media for labelling Palestinians released by Israel as ‘prisoners’.

“These are terrorists,” Ambassador Erlich said.

“These are people who, let’s say their allegedly ‘minor crime’ is because they only attempted murder.

“How would the reaction in the streets of Ireland be if 90 prisoners would have been released back into the ability of taking out more terrorists?”

Among the 90 Palestinians released by Israel, 69 were women and 21 were teenage boys, with the youngest detainee reportedly being a 15-year-old boy.

A statement from Áras an Uachtaráin to RTÉ previously stated: "President Higgins statements will show, through this work in politics and as President, that he has again and again strongly condemned antisemitism, Islamophobia and all forms of racism."

It went on to say the President's previous statements included "the clear suggestion that any targeting of Jewish or Israeli people in Ireland is completely wrong and should be addressed immediately by the State and non-State actors".

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Main image: Split image showing Israeli Ambassador to Ireland Dana Erlish (L) and President Michael D Higgins (R).