16.12.2025
Archbishop Welcomes Announcement of Report on Anti–Semitic Incidents
Archbishop Michael Jackson has issued the following statement follow the announcement by the Chief Rabbi that a report on anti–Semitic incidents is to be compiled:
“The Chief Rabbi of Ireland Yoni Wieder has announced that a comprehensive report on anti–Semitic incidents happening in the State over a four month period is being compiled by the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland. It is expected to be published in the new year.
“I welcome this report and stand in solidarity with the Chief Rabbi and the Jewish people of Ireland. Chronicling anti–Semitic incidents and the impact they have had will reflect the experience and fears of many Jewish people living in Ireland and highlight the need to ensure that people can feel safe in practicing their faith not only in consecrated buildings but also in their daily lives.
“The Chief Rabbi is supported in this initiative by Mr Maurice Cohen, Chair of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland. I know both men and work fruitfully with them. Phrases that they use such as: ‘… but the effects are very real …’ and ‘… no incident is trivial …’ hit home in a very poignant way to the heart of every human person where racism, hatred and intimidation are being described.
“I wish to express my sympathy from within the Church of Ireland community of Dublin and Glendalough for those who were killed, injured and traumatized at the Hanukkah celebration in Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. There, a festival of light and hope was turned into a scene of carnage and devastation. I also express my sympathy for Jewish people worldwide who are embroiled in a wave of solidarity and sorrow with the dead and the wounded, such are the close ties binding them together across the world. The Chief Rabbi has vowed that Hanukkah celebrations will go ahead in Ireland. I applaud him and members of the Jewish community in Ireland for such resilience in times when darkness could so easily overwhelm light.”