Gil Ofarim (41) is back: As he had previously announced in an Instagram story, he started his “spring cleaning guitar sale” on Thursday evening. “A few of my old companions are looking for a new home,” he begins his first Instagram post since the end of his trial over a fabricated anti-Semitism scandal.
“They accompanied me on concerts, tours, studio recordings and very special moments in my life. Now I hope that you too have a great time with them and cherish them.” He shows which guitars it is in a linked, hour-long YouTube video.
“Have a nice day everyone. My name is Gil Ofarim and this is a video. The first probably, or the first post or the first thing I say after a certain time,” he begins his clip, referring to his months-long video Time out.
“I’m sure people are now talking about what I say and what I do. But I have things that I want to show you and long story short: I’m separating from companions. I’m separating from friends and Companions and I wish them a good new home.”
He then shows and plays the different guitars and also describes the stories behind them. Among other things, he remembers his last musical performance in October 2021 in Leipzig, holding a black guitar in his hand. “This guitar accompanied me into a hotel lobby. I don’t think I need to say more about it.”
In October 2021, the musician accused a hotel employee of anti-Semitism in a video shared via his social media channels. Among other things, Ofarim claimed in an Instagram video that the hotel employee asked him to take off his Star of David. The hotel employee then reported Ofarim for defamation.
In the defamation trial in November, Ofarim made a surprise confession and admitted that he had made up the anti-Semitism allegations. The proceedings were discontinued against a fine of 10,000 euros.
Another link on Ofarim’s Instagram page leads directly to the corresponding classifieds page. The cheapest guitar is currently listed for 2,700 euros. The most expensive, which belonged to his late father Abi Ofarim (1937-2018), sold for 10,000 euros. “Papa’s favorite guitar…” is what the accompanying text says, among other things. “This piece should actually go into a museum or something similar…” he continues. The singer also offers amplifiers for sale. It is not known whether Ofarim has been in financial difficulties since his admission of guilt. Ofarim has not given any public appearances or concerts since the scandal.
Ofarim also announces new music both in the video and in his Instagram post. “I… will dedicate myself to music again and write my new record!” The singer is apparently hoping for a new beginning. “Life goes on, step by step” and “Everything is based on hope” is how he sums up his current emotional state.
Many fans seem to be happy about his return, with a lot of positive feedback in the first hour after the post. “I’m glad to hear from you again” or “Don’t let it get you down,” are some of the comments. But it didn’t take long for critical voices to arrive, demanding, among other things, a public apology. “With all due respect, but after this massive misconduct, a public apology would be more than overdue” or “Maybe you should explain the whole thing first instead of pretending it was nothing,” can be read, among other things.
