The election of far-left, anti-establishment candidate Catherine Connolly as Irish president has split the country, not least its Jewish community.
Connolly, who won in a landslide on Saturday, has called Israel a “terrorist state” and a “rogue state” on several occasions, and has also said that “history didn’t begin on October 7.”
Further, she has stated in the past that Hamas is “part of the fabric of the Palestinian people.”
So what do members of the Jewish community have to say about this?
Wishing her success, the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland congratulated Connolly. It noted that while the presidency is a symbolic position, it nevertheless represents all the people of Ireland.
“The Jewish community in Ireland looks forward to working constructively with the president, as we have with her predecessors, in fostering mutual respect, understanding, and the flourishing of all communities that make up the fabric of Irish life,” said Maurice Cohen, the chair of the JRCI.
Ireland’s Chief Rabbi Yoni Wieder similarly congratulated Connolly, adding that he hoped she would use the office to “unite rather than divide,” and promote dialogue, respect, and understanding across Irish society.
He noted the existence of concerns within the Jewish community about the positions Connolly has taken regarding Hamas.
“She has described it as ‘part of the fabric of the Palestinian people,’ yet seems entirely untroubled by that reality. She appears not to object to its remaining in power, even as it openly beats and executes its own people. Such views do not reflect the outlook of someone committed to a secure and peaceful future,” Wieder said.
“I would hope that President Connolly will take the opportunity in due course to engage directly with Ireland’s Jewish community, hear our concerns, and understand better how the conflict continues to affect our small community here.”
However, not everyone was so enthusiastic.
“Catherine Connolly personifies the Irish Left and Sinn Féin’s anti-Israel hostility and embraces its narrative, counting amongst her political supporters those who advocate Israel’s replacement by a Palestinian state,” Irish lawyer and Ireland’s former justice and defense minister Alan Shatter told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
“At every available opportunity, she demonizes Israel repeatedly, accusing it of committing genocide in Gaza. [She has] depicted Hamas as ‘part of the fabric of Palestinian society’ when objecting to the exclusion of Hamas from a future governance of Gaza,” Shatter said.
He noted that Connolly has strong support from the “obsessive, Israel-hating Irish social media community and public exhibitionists, including [controversial musical act] Kneecap.”
Shatter added that while the position of president is constitutionally essentially – but not entirely – ceremonial, Connolly’s anti-Israel rhetoric will gain a broad audience and possible additional credibility, “further souring Ireland-Israel relations” and contributing to escalating antisemitism in Ireland.
“She is a product of the Irish government pandering to and adopting the narrative of Israel’s most extreme critics and the government parties failing to nominate credible, articulate presidential candidates,” Shatter said.
"As a Jew originally from the Republic of Ireland, it is saddening but not entirely surprising to see the country and its leadership slide further into this abyss," James Esses, a former barrister turned psychotherapist, told the Post.
"The previous president used Holocaust Memorial Day to whip up hostility. The new president calls Israel a ‘terrorist state’ yet has the audacity to legitimise Hamas as “part of the fabric of the Palestinian people”. It’s shameful."