Rabbi Illulian

Rabbi Illulian has lived in the city of Beverly Hills for years and moved into his current home in October 2022. Originally, he began opening his home as a means of supporting an aging, home-ridden Holocaust survivor. These gatherings include Shabbat prayers, dinner, and religious holiday celebrations.  Often, most the people present at Rabbi Illulian’s gatherings and holiday celebrations were family members, such as his father and several of his uncles, siblings, nieces, and nephews, and a few friends and neighbors. These gatherings are not open to the public.

In early February 2023, the city of Beverly Hills received a complaint from a private citizen regarding Rabbi Illulian’s religious gatherings. After spending nearly a month investigating the complaints, the City initially (and correctly) concluded that the alleged violations were unfounded and closed its case. However, the City reopened its investigation at the end of March 2023 after the disgruntled resident complained again regarding the religious activities at Rabbi Illulian’s home.

City officials have been investigating Rabbi Illulian’s religious exercise since March using increasingly invasive means, including surveilling individuals and cars coming and going from the home on a daily basis and flying a drone over the home.  They issued a “Notice of Violation” prohibiting all religious activity at the home with non-residents in June.

However, it is really the City that has committed a violation – a violation of Rabbi Illulian’s constitutional rights, because he is within his legal rights to engage in religious exercise at his home with family or friends, free from government burden and interference. It is chilling that Beverly Hills officials have resorted to surveilling a small group of Jewish residents who meet together for worship. Beverly Hills is a diverse city that should welcome this Rabbi and protect his freedom to live out his faith.

Any day of the week across the country, Americans of all faiths meet in homes for prayer meetings, Bible studies and other gatherings – yet city officials in Beverly Hills have singled out this Jewish rabbi. No one in this country should be persecuted for their prayers, but that’s exactly what’s happening in this case – and this kind of anti-religious bias cannot be allowed to stand. First Liberty Institute is fighting to defend Rabbi Illulian’s religious exercise and reminding the City of Beverly Hills that even a rabbi can invite whomever he chooses into his own, private home for a gathering.

In August 2023, First Liberty and the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP sent a letter to Beverly Hills city officials urging them to withdraw their “Notice of Violation” against Rabbi Levi Illulian.  Later, after a second letter was sent to city officials, they backed down and withdrew the notices.

Elizabeth Kiernan of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher said, “We are grateful that the city recognizes that Rabbi Illulian has a constitutional right to engage in religious exercise at his home with family or friends, free from government burden and interference.”

“In light of what is happening to the Jewish community around the world, we need to be vigilant in protecting their religious liberty rights and safety here in the United States,” said Ryan Gardner, Counsel for First Liberty Institute. “First Liberty is here to do just that.”