German man reportedly sent to prison for Holocaust comment about singer who claimed antisemitism
Singer Gil Ofarim said a clerk had denied him a room at a Liepzig hotel because he was wearing a Star of David necklace
Gil Ofarim, a German-Israeli singer, said in a video posted to social media that he had been denied a hotel room in Leipzig, Germany, after being told to hide his Jewish star necklace. (Screenshot from Instagram video)
(JTA) — A German man has been sentenced to seven months in prison for leaving a hateful comment on a Facebook post about the case of Gil Ofarim, a German-Israeli singer who was charged with lying about an antisemitism incident at a hotel last year.
“In Buchenwald he would have liked to be seen with his Star of David,” the 38-year-old man from the German city of Niesky wrote on the account of TAG24, a German news website, according to a report by Radio Lausitz, a German news radio channel.
Buchenwald is the site of the largest Nazi concentration camp within Germany’s borders. The comment ran afoul of Germany strict laws prohibiting antisemitic speech, and the man’s previous criminal record also played a role in his sentencing, according to the report, which said an appeal was likely.
Pop singer Ofarim said a clerk had denied him a room at a Liepzig hotel because he was wearing a Star of David necklace.
Hundreds protested the hotel before Ofarim’s account was discredited when security video showed that he was not wearing a visible Jewish symbol at the time. He was later charged with crimes related to making a false allegation, although he has not yet been prosecuted.
This article originally appeared on JTA.org.
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
