Dublin hotel reportedly cancels 70 rooms booked for conference on combating antisemitism

A Dublin hotel allegedly cancelled reservations for an international convention focused on fighting antisemitism, upon discovering the nature of the conference.

As reported by Israeli media, The Herbert Park Hotel in Ballsbridge, Dublin had initially confirmed the reservations for 70 rooms to accommodate delegates from all 27 EU member states for the fifteenth international conference of ‘Special Envoys & Coordinators Combating Antisemitism’ (SECCA).

The initiative is a civilian diplomatic gathering supported by the World Jewish Congress and the European Commission, taking place in Ireland.

However, Maurice Cohen, chairman of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland. reportedly told a meeting at Ireland’s Foreign Ministry that the hotel reversed its decision after discovering the purpose of the gathering, with hotel management questioning whether the conference had any connection to the Israeli military.

Responding to the reports of the cancellation, Chief Rabbi of Ireland Yoni Wieder said: “The Herbert Park Hotel is actually quite familiar with Jewish guests. There’s a large multinational company based nearby, and Israelis and other Jewish visitors frequently stay there. I know that a catering company under my supervision regularly sends kosher meals up to the hotel. To the best of my knowledge, there’s never been any problem in the past, so that makes this particularly disappointing coming from the Herbert.

“I’d be interested to know who actually made the decision to cancel the booking, and why. It’s certainly possible that they were worried about attracting controversy or protests outside the hotel, rather than having an objection to the conference themselves. But that’s just my own speculation, and I simply don’t know. And regardless, that’s still not an excuse.

“And how ironic is it that delegates should come to Dublin for a conference on combating antisemitism, only to learn that their original hotel accommodation had been cancelled, apparently because of the very nature of the conference they were attending. Sadly, these things don’t come as much of a surprise anymore.”

Posting on Twitter/X in response to the allegations, Alan Shatter, Ireland’s former Minister for Justice and a board member of Israel Council on Foreign Relations, wrote: “The Herbert Park Hotel in Ballsbridge, Dublin cancelled a booking for 70 rooms upon learning the booking of the rooms was for a group of people from 27 EU states attending a conference in Dublin this week on antisemitism associated with Ireland’s EU presidency. A vile illustration of the issue to be addressed.”

Calling the alleged incident “deeply disturbing”, The European Jewish Congress said: “As revealed by Maurice Cohen, Chairman of our Irish affiliate, the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, hotel management also questioned whether the gathering was connected to the Israel Defence Forces, despite it being a civilian diplomatic conference attended by representatives from across Europe, including the European Jewish Congress. This is deeply disturbing.”

It adds that a hotel reportedly cancelling accommodation “for participants in a conference dedicated to combating antisemitism, while raising questions about supposed links to the Israeli military, reflects precisely the kind of prejudice and suspicion that such gatherings seek to confront. Having participated in the conference ourselves, we stand firmly with our Irish affiliate and share its serious concerns.”

“We call on the hotel to provide a clear explanation for its decision and recognise the gravity of what has occurred. It is profoundly troubling that those working to combat antisemitism should themselves encounter such treatment. Jewish organisations and those standing against hatred must never face exclusion or discrimination because of their work.”

Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association, said: “Officials appointed by European governments to protect Jews could not get a hotel room because the subject was Jews. This is exactly why that conference exists. Ireland holds the EU presidency. I expect the Irish government to say clearly that this is unacceptable.”

The Secca conference saw World Jewish Congress officials, together with local community and Jewish organisational leaders, meet with Ireland’s Taoiseach, Micheál Martin.

The gathering, which included visits to the European headquarters of Tik Tok and Meta, brought dozens of representatives of WJC-affiliated Jewish communities and organizations together with 39 government delegates from 28 countries and representatives from seven multilateral institutions.   Representatives of the J7 Jewish communities were among the attendees, having previously held a separate event in the UK, hosted by the Board of Deputies.

In just six months in 2025, the estimated 2,200 members of the Irish Jewish community reported 143 antisemitic incidents.

In November 2023, the family of former Hamas hostage, Irish-Israeli Emily Hand, alleged they were refused accommodation at a Dublin hotel during a visit to Ireland to advocate for her release.

Jewish News has approached The Herbert Park Hotel and Jewish Representative Council of Ireland for comment.