Musician Gil Ofarim has appeared in public for the first time since the end of his headline-grabbing trial over a fabricated Star of David scandal. On his otherwise orphaned Instagram page, a video appeared in his story in which he – with glasses and a new short hairstyle – plays the guitar. “Countdown is on!.. Thursday 6 p.m.!.. video for the “Spring Cleaning Guitar Sale”” is the caption above the video. What exactly that means was not initially clear.
Ofarim, who comes from Munich and lives there, withdrew from the public eye after making a surprise confession in his defamation and false accusation trial last November. The case against the 41-year-old was then dropped against a fine of 10,000 euros.
Ofarim in the trial: “I’m sorry”
Ofarim made anti-Semitism allegations against a Leipzig hotel in a video in October 2021. Ofarim described that the hotel manager had asked him to take off his Star of David necklace so that he could check in. The video went viral on social media. The musician later filed a complaint, but the hotel manager also defended himself and in turn reported the musician for defamation.
Major doubts about his portrayal also emerged in the trial against the son of the 1960s star Abi Ofarim (1937-2018); he finally made a confession and apologized to the hotel manager, who appeared as a co-plaintiff: “I would like to “I apologize to you. I’m sorry.”
Sharp criticism also from the Central Council of Jews
Ofarim was sharply criticized for inventing the anti-Semitic incident in the hotel – including from the Central Council of Jews in Germany. In addition to the public, Ofarim also lied to the Jewish community. “In doing so, Gil Ofarim has caused great harm to all those who are actually affected by anti-Semitism.”
Ofarim’s Instagram profile
