Leipzig – Gil Ofrim (39) sits in front of the entrance of Hotel “The Westin” in Leipzig with tears in his eyes. He was in the city of Saxony to shoot an MDR event. But what he came to know at the luxury hotel on Monday evening was astonishing. In an Instagram video, the singer explains that she has been discriminated against because of Star of David’s over her necklace.
“I am speechless right now,” said composer and son of Israeli music legend Abi Ofrim († 2018), describing the situation. There was a huge queue at the reception as the computer was not working. “It could be, anything is fine,” Ofrim insists.
They too had queued up on Monday evening, but others were recruited again and again. Allegedly to straighten the queue, so the hotel employee gave the reason – whom Ofrim calls “Mr. W”.
“And someone from the corner calls out: ‘Pack your star’. And then Mr. W says: ‘Pack your star.’ When the staff said he was not there, the musician left the hotel in despair.
In his video, Ofrim holds the Star of David’s chain to the camera and tears up close and asks: “Really? Germany 2021.”
Hotel “The Westin” in LeipzigPhoto: Picture Alliance / ImageBroker
When asked by BILD, her manager Yvonne Probst replied that he had put her in another hotel immediately. Meanwhile, he is no longer in Leipzig. “Gil lets it sink in for a while and is still shocked by the incident.” They are also considering filing a criminal complaint.
A spokesperson for The Westin wrote on Instagram that it was concerned about the report and was taking the matter very seriously. The company is trying to contact Ofrim to find out what happened.
“The anti-Semitic animosity that Gil Ofrim apparently experienced in Leipzig is terrifying. This anti-Semitism is everyday anti-Semitism, causing the Jewish Central Council President Joseph Schuster (67) to say on Tuesday. Jews are exposed time and again, Schuster made a similar statement on Twitter.
“Where were the others in the queue in front of the reception standing with Gil Ofreem? Why didn’t anyone protest? Just as it is expected that the hotel will take personal consequences, I also hope that we will meet in solidarity when we are attacked in the future.”
