She had advised him not to make the situation public and “rather clarify it internally”.
A trial is currently underway against the Jewish singer Gil Ofarim for defamation and false suspicions. On Thursday, November 16th, several witnesses were heard, including Ofarim’s former manager, Yvonne P. She gave insights into the defendant’s character and told what she had advised him.
“A gentleman of the old school”
In October 2021, Gil Ofarim made serious allegations of anti-Semitism against the manager of a Leipzig hotel. However, the incident led to charges against Ofarim himself, while the case against the hotel manager was dropped. The process is currently being heard in the Leipzig regional court, “Focus“reports on the situation on site.
When his ex-manager Yvonne P. was called to the witness stand about the incident, she characterized Ofarim in her statement as a polite person who was free of airs and graces. Despite the charges of defamation and false accusations, the manager highlighted Ofarim’s exemplary behavior – for example, he would hold doors for you and was “an old-school gentleman”. She worked with the defendant for around ten years until she quit in 2022. In court she explained that the reasons for this were not relevant to the trial.
She had recommended that he sort it out internally
Yvonne P. also said that Ofarim called her from the hotel after the anti-Semitic insult. Despite her advice to clarify the matter internally, Ofarim decided to make the allegations public. She stated that she had no doubts about the veracity of the allegations and emphasized that Ofarim had always been professional and authentic. The process then dealt with further witness statements and the findings of a digital forensic expert, whereby the behavior of those involved in the hotel lobby was also examined.
The trial had serious consequences for Ofarim
The former manager reported that Ofarim’s order situation was very good despite the Corona period and before the incident. However, after the allegations, inquiries dropped dramatically and Ofarim’s public reputation suffered. “We did a lot of TV shows, the calendar was full, we were busy,” explained the 45-year-old. But with the process, the order situation “went to virtually zero”.