The city of Beverly Hills in California sent a Notice of Violation to a rabbi in June, ordering him to cease holding religious meetings in his home after putting him under surveillance, according to a Wednesday press release from First Liberty.
Rabbi Levi Illulian has been hosting many worship meetings inside his home in order to support an “aging, home-ridden” Holocaust survivor, and after several complaints, the city allegedly responded by opening an investigation into the proceedings before sending the notice on June 12, according to the press release. In response, Illulian and First Liberty sent a letter to Beverly Hills Code Enforcement Attorney Steven Rosenblit and demanded the city withdraw the notice, arguing that it was a violation of his rights under constitutional law, according to the letter. (RELATED: State Bars Catholic Couple From Fostering Due To Traditional Beliefs About Marriage And Gender)
“It is chilling that Beverly Hills officials have resorted to surveilling a small group of Jewish residents who meet together for worship,” Elizabeth Kiernan of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, who is also representing Illulian, said in the press release. “The law and constitution protect his right to host gatherings of family and friends to meet their spiritual needs.”
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Illulian has hosted the Jewish celebration of Passover, which lasts over several days, and Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, as well as an Orthodox ministry called One Lev, according to the letter. The number of attendees was limited to what the “home can comfortably and safely accommodate” and Illulian asked visitors to park farther away in order to make sure they were not bothering neighbors or violating city ordinances regarding parking.
In February, a private citizen complained about noise and trash from the gatherings, but a city investigation found that the allegations were unfounded, according to the letter. After another complaint, a second investigation was launched in March using “stakeouts,” photographing and tallying individuals who came and went from the house, and allegedly “upon information and belief” the city used drones to surveil the house.
Illulian was eventually given a notice that demanded an end to “all religious activity at the home with non-residents,” according to the letter. First Liberty said that the notice’s requirements violated the rabbi’s First Amendment rights by discriminating based on the religious nature of the gatherings, arguing that a neighbor’s similar, secular gathering would not be prohibited under these terms.
“For example, on information and belief, poker nights of similar size to Rabbi Illulian’s prayer meetings occur on a regular basis in the neighborhood, undisturbed by threat of civil and criminal proceedings,” the letter reads. “And larger parties (like Christmas parties) are likely to have occurred of similar size to his larger gatherings for major Jewish holidays. Yet the City has targeted Rabbi Illulian’s home with an overly aggressive interpretation of its zoning code while failing to enforce a similarly aggressive position against other private gatherings in neighboring homes.”
First Liberty demanded that the notice be revoked or legal action would follow, according to the letter.
Rosenblit and the city did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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