Assuta Ashdod to dedicate campus garden to Israel’s sixth president after Dublin committee moves on Herzog Park; announced Sunday, in Ashdod.
An Israeli hospital announced that it would dedicate a garden in memory of the late president Chaim Herzog, a day before a garden bearing his name in Ireland is expected to be named for Palestine. Assuta Ashdod University Hospital announced on Sunday that it will name a large garden on its campus for former president Herzog, in Ashdod, to honor his legacy and affirm national remembrance. The hospital said the step responds to a Dublin City Council committee decision earlier this week to rename Herzog Park.
Hospital leaders framed the tribute as a commemoration in the face of what they described as historical erasure, citing the council committee’s last Monday determination to remove Herzog’s name. The move in Dublin has drawn criticism in Israel and abroad.
Full Dublin City Council to vote on change of name
A Dublin City Council committee voted on November 24, 2025, to rename the Rathgar site known as Herzog Park, six days ago, amid debate linked to the Israel-Hamas war. The full council has been asked to endorse the change. The council vote is expected to take place on Monday.
Assuta Ashdod said its naming aims to foreground remembrance rather than removal and to celebrate Herzog’s record in Israeli public life.
According to Dr. Hagar Gur, the hospital’s deputy director general, “This is a symbolic but unequivocal act. If Dublin chooses to remove the statue, we at Assuta Ashdod choose to honor it. You do not need to be a physician to diagnose this reality. Their decision is antisemitic. A park named for Chaim Herzog is a statement of memory, resolve, and values.”
Chaim Herzog is widely remembered for his 1975 UN speech condemning the “Zionism is racism” resolution. This month’s 50-year retrospectives have revisited the speech and its legacy.
Assuta Ashdod has demonstrated resilience and emergency readiness during the war period, earning a profile earlier this year for its wartime agility. It also received a Jerusalem Post Award for frontline medical services.
The hospital said the dedication will proceed on campus in Ashdod, with details to be announced. The council’s renaming process in Dublin remains before the full council for confirmation.
“Naming this garden for Chaim Herzog is our privilege,” Dr. Gur said.