A campaign to commemorate the birth of Chaim Herzog in Belfast has been launched in the city - two years after a memorial to the former Israeli president was removed following attacks.

The initiative, which aims to raise national and international awareness of the Herzog connection to Belfast through social media and public lectures, was launched by the Northern Ireland Friends of Israel (NIFI) ahead of the centenary of Herzog's birth in 2018.

Steven Jaffe, NIFI co-chair, said the group had been moved to act "to make the point that you cannot erase history" after repeated, failed attempts to restore the original plaque (below) at the building where Herzog was born.

The memorial was removed by officials in August 2014 after events in Gaza led to a series of antisemitic graffiti and cases of vandalism on the site.

Attacks on the plaque led authorities to fear for the safety of residents living in the building.

"In Belfast, there are many murals and memorials throughout the city; some of these can be offensive, but you don't take these down. You respect each community's right to express itself," Mr Jaffe said. "This has not happened in the case of the plaque."

The group is working with representatives from Protestant and Catholic communities, as well as politicians.

Mr Jaffe said: "Many people are still not aware of the fact that Herzog was born here. We want to put Belfast on the map of Jewish interest."

Meanwhile, another pro-Israel group has been working to challenge boycott efforts in Ireland.

Irish4Israel joined organisations including the International Christian Embassy and the Zionist Central Council to run a Buy Israel Goods Weekend, encouraging shoppers to challenge the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement by purchasing Israeli goods.

All participants were given a list of products, including Medjool dates and Garnier skin creams, and told which shops stocked them.

They were then asked to share photos of their purchases online.

An Irish4Israel spokesman said last weekend's event was "a great success. Many people had said they didn't know what products were Israeli before and will now try to buy Israeli products on a weekly basis.

"We hope this will create a culture of buying Israeli products."