I don't know if it is better to feel relieved that the situation wasn't as dire as initially reported or to be concerned about the false narrative being told. This can have a very negative impact on a company and an individual.
The basic facts of the Westin Leipzig antisemitism story
The Westin Leipzig was in the news for an anti-Semitic incident at its hotel a few weeks back.
The story is that Gil Ofarim, a well-known German singer claimed that an associate at the front desk refused to let him in because he wore a Star of David around and neck. Ofarim claimed others were being assisted ahead of him when the issue emerged at check-in.
According to his account, the front desk manager told him to pack his star when he confronted him about it.
The story sounded horrible. It was not true. This would be so disgusting anti-Semitism. You wouldn't believe that it would be made up by someone who is well-known and checks into random hotels.
Anti-Semitism in Germany is a crime, so Ofarim filed a criminal complaint against that employee. Surprisingly, the police have now completed an investigation.
What the police have to say about Westin Leipzig's incident
Leipzig police have serious doubts regarding Ofarims version.
Surveillance footage from the Westin clearly shows that Ofarims checked in at the hotel without a chain or Star of David around his neck.
Instead, the musician wore a leather jacket over a t-shirt.
Ofarim, who was being interrogated by police, stated that he didn't remember if he had the Star of David chain around the neck. However, he said that he did in an Instagram video that he posted right after the incident.
Ofarim says that it is not about the chain itself, but about something bigger. He believes that someone recognized him and made an anti-Semitic comment. It isn't about whether or not the chain was present in the hotel. It is about the fact that I was insulted anti-Semitically.
Because Ofarim accused Westin employees of anti-Semitism, Ofarim filed a defamation complaint against Ofarim. He has a completely different version of events.
Bottom line
It's clear that there is a lot of anti-Semitism. It is unlikely that we will ever know whether there was anti-Semitism in this incident. We do know that Ofarim was not as accurate in his account, and it is difficult to believe if there are major holes in the story.
Problem is, he stated that he was wearing a Star of David and was told that he could not check-in until it was off. It would be a different story if he was not wearing the Star of David.
Is it possible that anti-Semitism could still exist? Would that be unacceptable? Yes. It's hard to forget the lies that were told just seconds after the incident occurred (especially because he was wearing his Star of David in video, which meant that he would have to put it on immediately he left the hotel).
