Éamon de Valera Forest
Forest near Nazareth, Israel
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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]