Gil Ofarim said on Instagram that he wanted to check into the hotel in Leipzig, but was ignored. When he asked, hotel employees had made anti-Semitic statements.
Gil Ofarim’s disbelief is evident. Close to tears, the singer sits on the steps in front of the “Westin” Hotel in Leipzig and tells in a two-minute video what has just happened to him. “I’m speechless right now,” he says.
Gil Ofarim reports on anti-Semitism in a Leipzig hotel
Ofarim was about to check in and stood in a long line at reception. There were problems with the system, he is said to have been told. No problem for him until people were gradually pulled from the queue and allowed to check in. “Fifteen minutes later I get my turn and ask: ‘Excuse me, what’s going on?'”, Ofarim reports, whereupon a “Mr. W.” said they wanted to straighten the snake. The fact that he was also standing in line was not relevant for the employee.
Obviously shocked, Ofarim reports what happened next. A person present is said to have called out to him to take off his Star of David, which he wears on a chain around his neck. “And then Mr W says: ‘Pack your star,'” Ofarim says, stunned. If he packs it up, he will be allowed to check in, he has been told. “Germany 2021”, he ends his video with resignation. In the caption, Ofarim explains that it was not the first time that he had encountered anti-Semitism. “Haven’t we learned anything from the past? I’m speechless! It’s not the first time, but at some point it’s enough,” he writes.
Support in the network
He received a lot of encouragement in the comments and the video is also being spread quickly on Twitter. “Disgusting. Was also at the Westin Leipzig yesterday. Dear Gil, I am very sorry that something so inhuman and PENALIZED happened to you! And you still believe anti-Semitism is a thing of the past,” tweeted actor Daniel Donskoy . The President of the Central Council of Jews, Dr. Josef Schuster also commented on the platform. “The anti-Semitic hostility against Gil Ofarim is terrifying. Just as it is to be hoped that the Westin will draw personnel conclusions, I also hope that in the future we will meet with solidarity when we are attacked,” it said on the channel.
At the request of the stern a spokesman for The Westin Leipzig said: “We are concerned about this report and we take this matter very seriously. We are trying by all means to get in touch with Mr Ofarim as we urgently need to find out what happened here . Our goal is to integrate, respect and support all of our guests and employees, regardless of which religion they belong to. “
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