British Rabbi Asked to Condemn Israel as a Booking Condition in France

A London-based rabbi, Yoni Birnbaum, said a French holiday rental owner demanded he declare support for criticism of Israel before completing a family booking near Vesoul, France, in August. Birnbaum had already paid a deposit worth half the rental cost when the request arrived.

According to the message he received, the owner said the email address revealed he was a rabbi, then asked him to confirm that he belonged to a progressive liberal Jewish movement and that it condemned what the owner called the Israeli army’s violent actions, under the Israeli government’s orders, in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and recently Lebanon. The owner added that if this was not the case, he could not offer accommodation because it conflicted too strongly with his principles.

Birnbaum told The Telegraph he felt “deep sadness” after reading the message. “I am very sad that we are in a situation where there are people who feel that Jews are expected to declare such things,” he said, describing it as “a kind of purity test,” where those who do not fit a narrow definition are treated as “bad Jews.”

He replied that he had never mentioned his Jewish faith in the exchange and that the request was for “a British family like any other family.” He said the owner had searched his political views and affiliations after spotting the word “rabbi” in his email address. In the end, the reservation was canceled and the deposit was refunded.