Leaders of the Irish Jewish community have welcomed news that the Israeli ambassador will, for the first time, speak about links between the Shoah and Israel at Ireland’s national Holocaust Memorial Day next month.

A meeting between Holocaust Educational Trust Ireland (HETI) and ambassador Boaz Modai led to the decision that he “will deliver an address in which the clear connection between the Shoah of the Jews during World War Two and the State of Israel will be stated”.

The move came after fears raised by HETI’s instruction to the master of ceremonies at HMD not to refer to Israel.

In a statement, Maurice Cohen, chair of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, said: “The Irish Jewish Community looks forward to continuing its support of HETI chaired by Mr Peter Cassells.

“The Jewish Representative Council of Ireland also looks forward to a closer working relationship with HETI. We wish them continued success in their valuable work in Ireland.”

A senior source at the Israeli embassy said that the agreement over Mr Boaz’s statement on Israel represented a significant shift from previous years, in which the ambassador read a prepared statement at HMD that did not mention the country.