Singer claims Leipzig inn turned him away for wearing Star of David

Singer claims Leipzig inn turned him away for wearing Star of David

News

norman lebrecht

October 06, 2021

The German-Israeli singer Gil Ofarim is upset at being turned away from a Westin hotel in Leipzig for wearing a Star of David pendant.

‘I am speechless,’ he says, ‘this is Germany 2021.’ Ofarim, 39, is the son of Abi Ofarim, member of a famed Israeli duo.

Josef Schuster, head the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said on Twitter, ‘the antisemitic hostility against Gil Ofarim is appalling. One hopes the Westin will take consequences regarding their staff.’

The Westin Leipzig told AP it is ‘concerned and alarmed by Mr Ofarim’s intolerable accusations.’ A staff member has been suspended.

 

Comments

  • John Borstlap says:

    One doesn’t need to be German to sink to antisemitic gestures.

    • Brettermeier says:

      “One doesn’t need to be German to sink to antisemitic gestures.”

      Are you implying the Charlottesville tiki torch wielders who chanted “Jews will not replace us” might not have been Germans?

      All cynism aside, this is just detestably and intolerable.

      • Sue Sonata Form says:

        I like to think those “Charlottesville tiki torch wielder” do not represent average Americans who work in the hotel industry.

        Without additional information it’s hard to assess whether this was actually anti-Semitism or something else at play. We only have the person’s word for that.

        Too much kangaroo court around these days for my liking.

  • Larry says:

    Does he have specific proof that this is why he was turned away or is it speculation?

  • christopher storey says:

    Or was it the ring through his nose ?

    • pvl says:

      No, it was Star of David that a hotel clerk did not like.

    • Sue Sonata Form says:

      For some people jumping to conclusions is the only exercise they ever get. I cannot imagine any person saying “put your star away” in public!! If so, that person or persons needs ‘re-educating’ and I know of an ideal political ideology which will be eager to do that.

      And some people become miffed when minimal dress standards are applied, readily perceiving themselves to be entitled but ending up ‘victims’. I mean, are T-shirts, body piercings and other self-inflicted forms of bodily abuse absolutely necessary and de rigueur EVERYWHERE?

      • Brettermeier says:

        ” I cannot imagine any person saying “put your star away” in public!”

        Erm. Welcome to Sachsen?

        ” I mean, are T-shirts […] absolutely necessary and de rigueur EVERYWHERE?”

        Yes, that’s really annoying, isn’t it. I went to buy groceries the other day and there was some woman wearing Gucci. Past 20h. I mean, HELLO!? Gucci all day, Prada all night, right? What’s not to understand?? I guess it was ” too inconvenient” to change for the occasion.

        I’m glad we see eye to eye here.

    • have you seen heavy metal german rocker band members, or even saturday night live’s sprockets…..a native german would never have been treated thusly…and so what if it was the ring through his nose…since when is that a crime?

  • CSOA Insider says:

    Beyond the pale and truly despicable, but sadly, fully believable.

  • Tamino says:

    Very careful with this. Hard to know for the outsiders what is true.
    What is fact so far:
    The (by social media) accused hotel employee has sued for defamation.
    And Gil Ofarim has so far *not* sued. Why not? Because he would have to testify under oath?

    The police says, the story the employee gives is fundamentally different than the story Ofarim tells online.

  • Musician says:

    Exactly, he claims.
    So far just a social media rant.
    Since one of the employees already sued him for defamation the department of public prosecution is involved now.
    Let the police and maybe later the prosecution and judge do their job. I believe in the state of law and not in verdicts via social media shit storm.
    It very well could be true but I also would not be surprised if this story will take some turns…

  • Genius Repairman says:

    If this allegation is indeed true then at least it was a single employee and not the hotel itself or Leipzig as a whole.

  • Nightowl says:

    Maybe he got turned away for dressing like some dingus hipster??
    For a 39 year old, he looks like a 1st class DB…

  • Musician says:

    There was some news regarding the case: Apparently Mr. Ofarim also pressed charges at the meantime.

    Also some surveillance tapes surfaced raising the questions if he was wearing a necklace with Star of David pendant at all.

  • WowJd says:

    Hotel says employee cleared over antisemitism claim

    Yes and there are surveillance videos etc.

    https://www.dw.com/en/germany-hotel-says-employee-cleared-over-antisemitism-claim/a-59565026

  • NewsBringerJim says:

    The newest news paints a quite ugly picture.

    Gil Ofarim was angry at having to wait in the queue in the reception.
    He got fed up and then exclaimed “shit hotel”, and that he was “going to make a video”.

    In total: a narcissist who cannot stand being treated normally (he sees himself as having been betrayed, by not being recognized and treated in superior fashion); and decided to get revenge, by using the one very best weapon at his disposal: the German’s guilt.

  • NewsBringerJim says:

    https://www.stern.de/lifestyle/leute/gil-ofarim-wehrt-sich-gegen-hotelbericht—zeugen-widersprechen-ihm-30872530.html

    Translated into English:

    ” Now the 118-page final report is available […]. It paints a very different picture of what happened each evening. According to several witnesses, there was no mention of Ofarim’s necklace with a Star of David in the hotel lobby. Already the pictures of the surveillance camera, which became public some time ago, suggested that the singer was not wearing the chain visibly at all.

    The conflict is said to have arisen in a different way: Ofarim had the feeling that other customers were being treated preferentially. The musician then got into an argument with a hotel employee and threatened to upload a video to Instagram that would “go viral.” As the weekly newspaper writes with reference to the final report, two female employees and three guests are said to confirm this account.”

    • GuiltLoverboy says:

      Amazing.

      But hey, to Gil Ofarim, it’s just some goyim we’re talking about.
      So maby it didn’t exactly happen at that place, but maby somewhere else someone did criticise his star-of-david. So he got back at the goyim! To him they must all be the same anyway. No difference.

      And even if his star-of-david was never criticised. Gil Ofarim got back at the goyim. To him, they are just goyim. So maby he was just doing it for the holocaust.

      Yes baby. Mix it in, right there. Sure. Mix it right in there. Nice potent mix. (Are they licking his boots yet?)

  • Andreas B. says:

    there is news about this story – Mr Ofarim has been charged with libel and defamation by the public prosecutor:

    https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/04/03/fabricating-antisemitism-the-case-of-gil-ofarim/

    in a sense this is a sad turn of events, as it makes the fight against actual cases of anti-Semitism or racism even harder.

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