German singer and actor Gil Ofarim. Photo: Sven Mandel / Wikimedia commons

Video recordings published by German media Sunday appeared to raise new questions about the account of a German Jewish singer-songwriter’s claim that he was refused service for wearing a Star of David necklace at the Westin Hotel in the city of Leipzig.

Musician Gil Ofarim had posted a moving Instagram video recounting how he was insulted in an antisemitic manner by a hotel receptionist and an unidentified person as he tried to check in, because he was visibly wearing a Star of David pendant on a chain around his neck.

In the video surveillance excerpts published by Bild am Sonntag, Ofarim can be seen arriving in front of the hotel, entering the lobby, talking to a person at the reception and finally leaving the hotel. He is wearing an open leather jacket and a t-shirt, but the silver chain with the Star of David around which the allegations of discrimination revolve cannot be clearly seen.

“Several videos have been secured by the surveillance cameras,” a spokesman for the Leipzig public prosecutor’s office told the German press agency on Sunday. The evaluation has not yet been completed, so no information can be given about the content, it was added.

“What exactly can be seen in the video is part of the ongoing investigation,” said a police spokeswoman for the Leipzig police headquarters.

In Ofarim’s Instagram video following the alleged incident, he reported that after he complained about a mistreatment while he was waiting in the hotel queue, an unidentified person out of a corner of the lobby said “‘pack up your star’ [referencing the Star of David pendant]. Next, the reception clerk says ‘pack your star away and then you can check-in.’” Last week, Ofarim filed an official complaint against the hotel employee.

When asked about the hotel video surveillance, Ofarim told Bild am Sonntag, “the sentence was uttered out of a corner from behind. This means that someone recognized me. This is not about the chain. It’s actually about something much bigger. Since I can often be seen wearing the the Star of David on TV, I was insulted because of it.”

“This is not about whether the chain can be seen in the hotel or not. It’s about the fact that I was insulted in an antisemitic manner,” Ofarim reasoned.