Jewish Communities Stand Against The Westin Leipzig For Rejecting Entry To Jewish Singer

In a blatantly anti-semitic incident, Jewish singer Gil Ofarim was advised to remove his Star of David necklace in order to gain entry into The Westin Hotel in Leipzig, Germany.

In response to this terrible discrimination, hundreds of people, some draped in Israeli flags, stood outside the Westin in Leipzig on Tuesday night to protest the alleged incident of anti-Semitism at the hotel- which was narrated by Ofarim himself.

Source: Times of Israel (Dirk Knofe/dpa via AP)

In a video recorded just outside of the hotel on Monday night, Ofarim said in German that he had been waiting in line to get a room and that others were allowed to go ahead of him. When he finally got to the front of the line, Ofarim claims that he was told by a Westin employee to put away the Star of David necklace he was wearing. “Really? Germany 2021,” Ofarim states at the end of the video, according to a translation.

In response to the incident, the American Jewish Committee has launched a petition asking Marriott, in part, to “committee to training its employees about anti-Semitism.”

“This blatantly anti-Semitic incident is sickening and unacceptable everywhere, but especially in Germany. It reminds us that anti-Semitism is a problem in all parts of society, not only in the extreme fringes,” said Remko Leemhuis, director of AJC Berlin. “Marriott should take all necessary steps to ensure that something like this will never happen again. AJC stands ready to help with our expertise and knowledge.”