"Not wanted": According to reports, an Irish hotel canceled 70 rooms that had been booked for attendees of an anti-Semitism conference.

Maurice Cohen, chairman of the Council of Jewish Representatives in Ireland, says a hotel in Dublin rejected an anti-Semitism conference after its manager questioned Israeli military intervention.

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A Dublin hotel refused to host an international event focused on combating anti-Semitism and subsequently vacated nearly 70 rooms reserved for delegates after its general manager questioned whether the Israel Defense Forces would attend the meeting, according to a Jewish community leader who attended the meeting.

The event was part of this week's Conference of Representatives and Special Coordinators on Combating Antisemitism, which brought Jewish leaders, diplomats and government officials responsible for combating antisemitism to Dublin, Ireland.

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Cohen said organizers have received written confirmation that about 70 rooms have been reserved for attendees.

During the meeting, Cohen explained that the ceremony brings together representatives of the Jewish community, diplomats and government officials, many of whom were not Jewish. He said the manager's demeanor seemed to have changed before asking if the IDF would intervene.

Cohen said the hotel did not answer. The general manager told him that he should consult with the hotel owners before deciding whether the event could proceed.

On May 8, the day after the meeting, organizers received an email saying the hotel could not accommodate their "event," Cohen said. Two to three days after the May 7 meeting, organizers followed up by asking if the roughly 70 reserved rooms were available for delegates.

According to Cohen, the hotel then informed them that the rooms were no longer available and claimed they were automatically released a week before the meeting. He said the hotel never mentioned this during discussions with management.

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"Why are you holding a meeting seven days after canceling the rooms without mentioning them?" Cohen said. In my opinion, that excuse was a retrospective excuse.

"Seventy rooms were booked. Seventy people were accepted as guests," Cohen said during a speech at the Irish Foreign Office on October 13. "The only thing that changed was what they were."

The experience was personal for Cohen, who said he attended meetings, New Year's parties and his mother's birthday at the hotel until her 93rd birthday.

How quickly does the word "Jew" change a conversation? Cohen asked during his speech.

The controversial cancellation of the hotel is the latest episode to raise concerns among Jewish leaders about anti-Semitic discrimination in Ireland. The country has no official government mechanism for tracking anti-Semitic incidents, leaving social organizations to document cases and raising concerns that many experiences are never officially recorded.

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The Jewish population of Ireland is only about 2,200. Against that background, the Council of Deputies of Irish Jews recorded 143 anti-Semitic incidents through its six-monthly reporting initiative, including verbal abuse, threats, vandalism and discrimination. The council warned that the findings only paint a partial picture because anti-Semitism is often under-reported.

Cohen said the atmosphere in Ireland's small Jewish community had worsened since the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, describing the wider atmosphere facing Jews and Israelis in Ireland as "ambient anti-Semitism".

Hotel management should speak directly to representatives of the Jewish community and be educated about contemporary anti-Semitism, Cohen said.

Cohen said several Irish lawmakers and staff contacted him personally after his Oct. 13 speech, though he had not seen a broader public condemnation from the Irish government.

"I, like most people, don't want to be where I'm not wanted," Cohen said.

Ariela Nook is a journalist specializing in anti-Semitism and Middle East affairs with extensive experience covering Jewish communities around the world. She can be followed on X and Instagram @ AriellaNoveck