Bavarian Hotel Sparks Outrage with Alleged Anti-Semitic Exclusion
A hotel in the Bavarian town of Lam has ignited an international controversy following an alleged anti-Semitic remark made to a potential Israeli guest. Reports indicate that a staff member from Hotel Zum Hirschen informed an Israeli tourist, Michael Winokur, that “there are no Jews allowed in our hotel” in response to a booking inquiry.
The incident, documented in an email shared online, has drawn sharp condemnation from diplomatic and political circles. Israel’s Consul General for southern Germany, Talya Lador-Fresher, publicly questioned the situation by posting a screenshot of the message, asking, “Are we back in the 1930s?” Similarly, Germany’s commissioner for combating anti-Semitism characterized the hotel’s alleged stance as “an abyss of anti-Semitism.”
Hotel Manager Denies Anti-Semitism, Claims Victimhood
Hotel manager Andreas Vogl has refuted claims of anti-Semitism, asserting that the business does not harbor hatred towards any group. Vogl reportedly stated that the remark was an unintentional slip of the tongue during an attempt to identify a potentially fake booking. He explained, “We keep getting fake bookings on Booking.com, and then suddenly there was one from Israel which had all the tell-tale signs of being fake. So we wrote back in less than half a minute, and that sentence just slipped out – but not because we don’t take Jews into our hotel. That’s nonsense. We don’t exclude anyone at all.”
Vogl further expressed distress over the fallout, claiming he and his staff are receiving threats and negative attention. “It’s just awful,” he reportedly said. “I’m just getting threats and phone calls. We just want some peace and to be able to work normally again. There is absolutely no hatred and absolutely no anti-Semitism or hatred against any population groups from our side. We’re now being labelled as anti-Semites and Jew-haters, even though we’re not at all. That’s the absurdity of the whole thing.”
Platform Bans Hotel, Apology Issued
In the wake of the allegations, the hotel was immediately removed from the Booking.com platform, a move described by hotel staff as “a huge problem” for their operations. Hotel Zum Hirschen has since issued a written apology to Mr. Winokur, calling the message “inexcusable.” The establishment also extended an invitation for Mr. Winokur and his family to stay for a week, free of charge, to demonstrate their non-discriminatory practices.
Michael Winokur was reportedly unavailable for comment following the incident.
