D.he singer Gil Ofarim has made serious accusations at the Westin Hotel in Leipzig. In a video that Ofarim published on Instagram on Tuesday, he reports that he had been turned away at reception the night before because he was wearing a necklace with a Star of David. “I’m speechless right now,” he says, “I don’t know how to say it.”
According to Ofarim, there was initially a long line in front of the reception due to computer problems. He stood in line, but one person after the other was preferred. After 15 minutes he was finally called and said: “What’s going on? That is not okay, everyone is preferred. “
The hotel manager, a “Mr. W.”, replied: “To straighten the queue.” From one corner, “someone” shouted: “Pack your star!” Mr. W. also said: “Pack your star a. ”If he wraps it up, he is allowed to check in.
Ofarim: “Haven’t we learned anything from the past?”
In the video, in which Ofarim keeps fighting back tears, the chain with the Star of David can be seen. “Germany 2021,” says the Jewish singer into the camera. The hotel can be seen in the background. Ofarim wrote about the video: “Haven’t we learned anything from the past?” It was not the first hostility, “but at some point it will be enough”.
The Star of David is one of the most famous symbols associated with Judaism. It consists of a hexagram formed by two isosceles triangles interwoven with one another. Although the hexagram appears as a Jewish symbol as early as the 7th century BC, the Star of David has only adorned synagogues since the Middle Ages and the flag of the State of Israel since 1948. During National Socialism, the Star of David was imposed on the Jews as a stigma (“Star of David”).
Olaf Hoppe, spokesman for the Leipzig police, said that the alleged statement by the hotel employee was “clearly anti-Semitic” for him. The police will forward the content of the video to the public prosecutor’s office, who will check whether it is relevant to criminal law. Depending on the result, further determination will then be made or not. As Hoppe further explained, the police were not on site during the incident. Ofarim has not yet been spoken to. The authorities know his video and have backed it up.
Ofarim himself initially did not want to comment on the incident on Tuesday at the dpa request. His management announced that he had to digest the events in Leipzig first and was visibly shocked. “Today would have been his father’s birthday, so he doesn’t want to give any further personal interviews on this topic for the time being,” it said. The day is generally difficult enough for him. I ask for your forbearance and understanding.
The chairman of the Central Council of Jews, Josef Schuster, commented on the incident with the words: “The anti-Semitic hostility against Gil Ofarim is terrifying.” It is to be hoped that the hotel will take personnel consequences and that Jews will “meet with solidarity in the future” if they would be attacked. The deputy SPD leader Kevin Kühnert turned on Twitter directly to the hotel: “I believe that communication is necessary and appropriate here. Are you investigating the allegations? “
The FDP member of the Bundestag Frank Müller-Rosentritt also called on the hotel to “clear up the case completely and draw appropriate conclusions”. The hostility shows that Sunday speeches “just aren’t enough”. Jews should be able to wear Jewish symbols without fear of discrimination and violence. “Incidents like this are more likely to make Jews think twice about doing that.”
CDU General Secretary Paul Ziemiak also expressed his solidarity with Ofarim via Twitter. The Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency criticized the “incredible case of anti-Semitism” and spoke of a violation of the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG). “A quick response from the hotel is long overdue. From our point of view, this cannot remain without consequences, ”wrote the federal agency on Twitter.
Saxon politicians also spoke out. Saxony’s Interior Minister Roland Wöller (CDU) hopes that the musician will file a complaint so that the police can investigate the process. “Saxony is a cosmopolitan state,” emphasized Wöller.
Economics Minister Martin Dulig (SPD) wrote on Twitter that it made him angry what happened to Ofarim. He spoke for the vast majority of the people in Saxony when he apologized on behalf of the anti-Semitic humiliation. “We still have a lot to do in Saxony!” Environment Minister Wolfram Günther (Greens) was also dismayed on Twitter. “There must be no place for anti-Semitism. Not open, not covered. Not in Saxony, not in Germany, nowhere. “
The hotel released a statement on Tuesday afternoon. “We are concerned about this report and we take it very seriously,” it reads. They are trying by all means to get in touch with Ofarim “while we are urgently investigating what has happened here. Our goal is to integrate, respect and support all of our guests and employees, regardless of which religion they belong to. ”The alliance“ Leipzig takes place ”announced a solidarity meeting in front of the hotel for the evening.