The Central Council of Jews in Germany has strongly condemned a singer after he admitted making up allegations of being discriminated against by hotel staff in Leipzig over his Star of David pendant, saying the musician had caused “great damage to the victims of genuine antisemitism”.
German-Israeli citizen Gil Ofarim, 41, had claimed in a video posted on Instagram in October 2021 that employees of the Westin hotel in the eastern German city had asked him to “put away” a Star of David pendant before he was allowed to check in.
The incident gained much attention in Germany at the time, sparking protests outside the hotel and words of solidarity from the German president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
During a defamation trial against him at Leipzig’s district court, however, Ofarim on Tuesday confessed to making up the story and issued an apology to the hotel’s manager.
The proceedings for defamation and false accusation were subsequently dropped, and Ofarim was ordered to make a donation of €10,000 (£8,600) to the Jewish community of Leipzig and the House of the Wannsee Conference, a Berlin memorial museum at the villa where Nazis planned the annihilation of Europe’s Jewish population.
During the trial, several witnesses questioned Ofarim’s account of events, saying the musician had been visibly angered by having to wait in a line for his check-in, which was delayed because of software problems. On CCTV footage from inside the hotel, the Star of David pendant he wore around his neck was not visible during the incident.
“Gil Ofarim’s fabrication has massively damaged the fight against antisemitism, especially when victims are so often not believed and their experiences of hatred are played down or dismissed”, said Nicholas Potter, a researcher at the Amadeu Antonio Foundation in Berlin. “The revelation comes at a particularly detrimental time, with cases of antisemitism skyrocketing – not just in Germany, but worldwide.”
A group tracking antisemitism in Germany said on Tuesday that it had documented a drastic increase in antisemitic incidents in the country in the month after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October.
The Rias group said it had recorded 994 incidents between 7 October and 9 November, an increase of 320% compared with the same time period in 2022. Among the 994 antisemitic incidents were three cases of extreme violence, 29 attacks, and targeted damage to 72 properties.
Ofarim, who is the son of the Israeli singer Abi Ofarim, had a top 30 chart hit with the single Round ’n’ Round (It Goes) in 1997.
