London Rabbi Denied Vacation Rental Over Israel Support Inquiry

Rabbi Dr. Yoni Birnbaum, leader of the United Synagogue Finchley in London, revealed that a vacation rental owner in eastern France questioned his support for the Israeli government before canceling his booking. Birnbaum, whose synagogue is one of Europe's largest Jewish communities with over 2,000 members, recounted in the British Jewish newspaper Jewish Chronicle that after booking a summer holiday in early May and paying a 50 percent deposit, he received an unexpected email from the property owner. The owner, suspicious due to Birnbaum's email address containing the word "rabbi," asked if he belonged to a liberal Jewish movement that condemns the Israeli military's actions in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, and whether he opposed the Israeli government's policies. The owner stated that if Birnbaum did not oppose these actions, they would have to cancel the reservation and refund the deposit, citing conflicting principles.

In response, Rabbi Birnbaum sharply criticized the owner's moral stance, highlighting the tragic history of Dutch Jews during the Holocaust, noting that 70 percent of Dutch Jews were murdered, the highest rate in Western Europe. He referenced a detailed Nazi map of Amsterdam marking Jewish victims and a recent Dutch list of alleged Nazi collaborators. Birnbaum questioned how the owner would feel if asked about his own ancestors' actions during the war before renting out his property. He concluded by stating that he found the owner's inquiry morally blind and requested the immediate cancellation of the booking and refund of the deposit, expressing that his family no longer wished to spend the summer at the rental.

This incident underscores tensions around political views on Israel affecting personal and commercial interactions abroad. Rabbi Birnbaum's public disclosure brings attention to the challenges Jewish individuals may face when their identity and political beliefs are scrutinized in everyday situations such as vacation rentals.