Leipzig prosecutors push back against tall tale of anti-Semitism

At nearly 97m, Leipzig’s Westin Hotel is one of the city’s tallest buildings – and now prosecutors say it was the backdrop to one of the city’s its tallest tales.

When German singer Gil Ofarim tried to check into the hotel last October, he found himself in a long line through the lobby caused by a computer problem. When other guests began skipping the queue, he protested and, minutes later, stormed out.

In a video posted to Instagram, a tearful Ofarim told his followers he had been the victim of anti-Semitic abuse. Holding up a Star of David chain, he said a staff member of the hotel had shouted at him to “put away the star”.

“He told me, if put it away, I’d be allowed check in,” he said, blinking away tears. “Why? Have we learned nothing from history? Speechless. It’s not the first time but it’s finally enough. . .”

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After he posted the video, German Instagram went into meltdown. The hotel was picketed, bombarded with hate mail and saw its online ratings plunge. Other Germans entertainers and Jewish organisations rushed to Ofarim’s defence.

Dr Josef Schuster, head of the Germany’s Central Committee of Jews, described the attack as “shocking”.

“As much as we hope that the Westin will draw personnel consequences,” he said, “I hope we will experience solidarity when we are attacked in the future.”

Two employees identified by Ofarim were suspended during a police investigation. Almost six months on, the Leipzig public prosecutor is now pressing charges: not against the hotel employees – but the singer.

Forensic analysis

The prosecutor’s office says Ofarim’s description of events, in his video and in subsequent interviews, is not accurate. After a special digital forensics company analysed hotel security camera footage, investigators concluded that events “did not happen as described”.

Not only could his claims not be confirmed, they said there was “sufficient suspicion” to believe that Gil Ofarim made his statements “cognisant of their untrue nature and the consequences for employees”.

Put simply: prosecutors accuse the singer of slandering two Westin employees, knowingly damaging their reputation and that of the hotel. Furthermore, because he pressed charges against the staff members, he also faces charges of wrongful suspicion.

Lawyers for the hotel had already found no indications that the claims were true, although the employees had faced “massive hostility” in Leipzig.

Normally such cases would be settled with a fine but prosecutors have asked a local court to consider taking the case to trial, given the public furore the singer caused with his video.

Ofarim, son of the late Israeli singer Abi Ofarim, has yet to respond to the latest twist in his tale. Already last October he revised his story several times, in particular whether he was wearing his chain, or whether it was visible, when he tried to check in.

“It’s not about that,” he told the Bild tabloid, “it is about being Jewish in general.”

In a 2018 interview he spoke of experiencing anti-Semitic incidents while at school in Munich. Once he said he found a swastika painted on his desk; on another occasion he said a  classmate remarked that the former Nazi camp “Dachau isn’t far from here”.

Responding to the charges against Ofarim, Schuster said that his organisation, “trusting in the rule of law, finds it important not to rush to any premature judgment”.

Anti-Semitic attacks remain a reality in Germany, where synagogues and other Jewish buildings have police protection. In a 2020 Leipzig survey, one in three Germans agreed with the statement that “Jews in Germany still have too much power”.