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Jungle king Gil Ofarim dwells on his past. (archive picture)
RTL
Gil Ofarim has won the RTL jungle camp and is back in the spotlight. For the man he once publicly accused of anti-Semitism, this is hard to bear.
The anti-Semitism scandal surrounding Gil Ofarim is legally closed - but not publicly. After the musician won the RTL show "Ich bin ein Star - Holt mich hier raus!" and collected 100,000 euros in prize money, the man whom Ofarim once heavily incriminated is now speaking out.
In an interview with " Die Zeit", former hotel employee Markus W. talks in detail about his view of things for the first time. Ofarim "presents himself as a victim, even though that's what I am, and that's difficult for me", he says. He continues: "It's very strange, it annoys me massively, and I also ask myself: is it never over?"
As a reminder: Ofarim had publicly claimed in 2021 that a hotel employee in Leipzig had discriminated against him because of a Star of David chain. The musician later admitted in court that the allegations were not true.
Markus W. now describes what these accusations meant for him. He had received death threats and a corresponding message had arrived in his work email inbox. He even avoided private parties for fear "that someone might take a photo of me celebrating or laughing".
The fact that Ofarim has now received widespread sympathy in the jungle camp worries him. It gives the impression "that the public perception of this case is tipping again".
The hotel employee is particularly irritated by Ofarim's statements on RTL that something was wrong with the surveillance footage. Markus W. says clearly: "Neither the court nor the video expert questioned the credibility of the recordings."
He also contradicts Ofarim's account on the question of a confidentiality or cease-and-desist declaration. He was "allowed to talk about the events in the lobby". It was only forbidden to claim that he - Markus W. - had expelled Ofarim from the hotel because of the Star of David chain or had made anti-Semitic remarks. "That's all", says the hotel employee.
