Dublin hotel cancelled rooms for an antisemitism conference, Jewish leader says

Maurice Cohen, of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, said the Herbert Park Hotel in Dublin withdrew a booking of more than 70 rooms for delegates to a meeting of special envoys combating antisemitism from across Europe.

Cohen said the hotel's general manager asked whether the Israel Defence Forces would be involved, then said she had to consult the owners. The rooms were cancelled the next day without explanation, he said.

“How quickly does the word ‘Jewish’ change a conversation?” Cohen asked delegates in a speech at the meeting, calling the cancellation an example of contemporary antisemitism.

— Maurice Cohen

The hotel has not responded to requests for comment, and the delegates stayed elsewhere as the conference went ahead. Ireland's chief rabbi, Yoni Wieder, said the hotel may have feared protests outside.