Beverly Hills Rabbi Leads Campaign against Qatari-owned Hotel

On Nov. 19, a group of approximately 100 protestors, led by Rabbi Pini Dunner of Young Israel of North Beverly Hills, gathered outside the Maybourne Beverly Hills, calling for a boycott of the hotel, citing its Qatari ownership.

In the aftermath of Oct. 7, Dunner has voiced strong opposition to the Maybourne Beverly Hills, a luxury hotel in Beverly Hills, as part of a campaign aiming to shed light on its being owned by a Qatari family with a history of making antisemitic statements. Also, Dunner’s efforts have highlighted Qatar’s financial links to Hamas.

Standing outside the hotel, his voice amplified by a megaphone, Dunner said “We, if we go into this hotel, are supporting Qatar, who are undermining our system by infiltrating themselves into everything we hold dear. Every bullet that is fired by Hamas, every gun that is owned by Hamas, every tunnel in Gaza, every rocket that is shot by Hamas into Israel is paid for by Qatari money.”

“We will not stand for it,” Dunner continued. “We will not allow Hamas to be in the midst of a neighborhood that we live [in].”

In a phone interview after the demonstration, Dunner denounced those who’ve allowed the hotel to operate while ignoring who owns it. Qatar, an Arab Gulf country, has provided a “financial lifeline” to Hamas and is “culpable” for the Oct. 7 massacre of Israeli civilians, Dunner said.

“I’m not a political activist, I’m just a parochial rabbi of a synagogue in Beverly Hills, but my eyes have been opened and I cannot see this go on without it being punished,” Dunner told the Journal. “Qatar is a source of evil. Qatar caused the death, kidnapping and injury of thousands. Qatar funded Hamas and therefore is guilty, if not more guilty, than Hamas.”

According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), Hamad bin Jassim, the former prime minister of Qatar, is one of the owners of the Maybourne.

As previously reported by the Journal, bin Jassim — who is known by his initials, HBJ — said in an interview with a Kuwaiti media outlet, “Imagine oil [was sold] by some Jews … what would be the price of a barrel of oil? It would be the most expensive thing in the world.”

Additional speakers at the rally included Beverly Hills Councilmember John Mirisch and Iraqi-American model Sarah Idan.

But not all those interviewed by the Journal are opposed to the hotel. Rabbi Yossi Cunin, a Chabad rabbi at Beverly Hills Jewish Community, said he didn’t support protesting local businesses, let alone ones that have had healthy relationships with the local Jewish community, which the Maybourne has, he said.

In a phone interview, Cunin said his experience with the Maybourne Beverly Hills has been positive: This past year, the hotel hosted his community’s overflow High Holiday services, and each week is the venue for Cunin’s Sephardic Shabbat minyan.

Qatar, Cunin added, has not been officially sanctioned by the United States or Israel.

“I appreciate we have issues with Qatar, but I’ve yet to see the Israeli consulate speak out against them.”

Qatar hosts Hamas’ political leadership and is home to Al Jazeera news network, which is accused of being biased against Israel. It is also where the largest U.S. military base in the region is located. Additionally, Qatar has served as mediator between Israel and Hamas, as the sides negotiate over the hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7.

At the rally, demonstrators waved Israeli flags while carrying signs reading, “We don’t want terrorist lovers in Beverly Hills,” “Stop Funding Hate” and “Get Qatar out of Beverly Hills.” As Dunner offered a strong condemnation of Qatar, the crowd cheered in approval.

Dunner has contacted Beverly Hills city officials about the hotel. In an Oct. 13 letter to members of Beverly Hills City Council, the rabbi explained the Qatari ownership of the hotel is “on record making overtly anti-Semitic statements.” While Dunner’s campaign against the hotel has garnered support from Mirisch, the other members of Beverly Hills City Council haven’t publicly offered positions about the property.

According to Dunner, the protest marked the beginning of an international campaign to target and boycott Qatari-owned assets around the Western world, though he declined to specify which assets.

“Today is just the beginning,” Dunner said during the rally. “We will expose every other Qatar-owned asset, not just in our neighborhood, but wherever they may be.”