As of: April 5, 2024, 12:09 p.m
Comments
Press
Split
Gil Ofarim dares to make a new start. © Hendrik Schmidt/dpa
When Gil Ofarim confessed in court that he had imagined an anti-Semitic incident, it shocked many. Now the musician is back - and is attracting criticism again.
Munich - The musician Gil Ofarim is planning a new start after his trial over a fabricated Star of David scandal. “I... will dedicate myself to music again and write my new record,” he wrote on Instagram. There the 41-year-old also announced that he wanted to sell his guitars - and those of his famous father: "It's time to say goodbye, it's time to separate from certain companions who are very loyal were,” he said in an Instagram story.
“You accompanied me on concerts, tours, studio recordings and very special moments of my life” (grammar error in the original), wrote Ofarim on his Instagram page, which had been orphaned for months. “Life goes on, step by step,” says the post, which is signed with “All in hope! Gil” and the hashtag “#Springcleaning”.
He attached a link to the classifieds sales portal. Among other things, “Abi Ofarim’s concert guitar” will be offered there for 10,000 euros. Gil Ofarim is the son of 60s star Abi Ofarim (1937-2018).
The anti-Semitic incident was made up
The day before, Gil Ofarim appeared in public for the first time since the end of his headline-grabbing trial over a fabricated Star of David scandal. On Wednesday the countdown to the “Spring Cleaning Guitar Sale” appeared on Instagram. Initially not a word about the scandal and his trial last year.
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 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. Ofarim finally confessed in court and apologized. Ofarim was sharply criticized for inventing the anti-Semitic incident in the hotel - including from the Central Council of Jews in Germany.
There was criticism under the post about his announced restart. “Dude, are you serious? As if nothing was back!” wrote someone. Or: “With all due respect, but after this massive misconduct, a public apology would be more than overdue!” But there were also more conciliatory tones: “People make mistakes... people learn from them.” dpa