An Israeli traveler attempting to book a hotel in Bavaria was turned away with an explicitly antisemitic reply, according to a screenshot circulating on social media. The message reportedly stated that the hotel would not host "Jews." The case has prompted an investigation by the Bavarian justice ministry, with potential charges of incitement to hatred under paragraph 130 of the German Criminal Code.
The Israeli Consul General for southern Germany, Talya Lador, expressed outrage on the X platform: "Are we back in the 1930s? A hotel replied to an Israeli as follows: 'Sorry, there are no Jews allowed in our hotel'." She welcomed the decision by Booking.com to remove the hotel from its listings.
Munich-based professor Guy Katz also condemned the incident in a LinkedIn post. According to Katz, the hotel later claimed it had been overwhelmed by a wave of bogus bookings. While acknowledging that an email written under pressure can come across as rude, Katz argued that the hotel's response was not born of stress but of antisemitism: "It has to form in your head first. Or it was always deeply embedded. And that is precisely the problem. Not 1938. Not somewhere on the internet. Yesterday. In Bavaria."
Hotel's Explanation and Legal Ramifications
The hotel initially denied the incident but later admitted that an employee had sent the message. It sent letters of apology to the family and to the Bavarian State Chancellery, and offered the Israeli family a free one-week stay. The case has been referred to the Bavarian justice ministry, where it is being examined with the help of the commissioner for combating antisemitism. It remains unclear whether the matter will go to trial.
Another report, which condemned the hotel's statement, noted that the hotel has been family-run for 120 years and is grappling with a wave of fake bookings. Because the Israeli family's reservation was reportedly the first from outside the EU, the reception suspected another attempted fraud.
In a separate case, a shop owner in Flensburg was convicted of incitement to hatred after posting a sign reading "Jews are banned from the premises." The district court handed down a six-month suspended sentence and ordered the defendant to pay €1,200 to the Ladelund concentration camp memorial. The court deemed the offence capable of disturbing social peace.
Sharp Rise in Antisemitic Incidents Across Germany
Antisemitic offenses in Germany have risen sharply since the terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 and Israel's subsequent military response. According to the Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt), a record 6,236 incidents were recorded in 2024, including 173 violent crimes. In the first half of 2025 alone, authorities recorded 2,044 antisemitic offenses, including 50 violent crimes.
The threat is also clearly perceptible for Jewish communities, as shown by a study published in January 2026 by the Central Council of Jews in Germany. Following the "explosive increase" in antisemitic incidents after 7 October, a "new normality" has developed, explained the council's president, Josef Schuster. Additionally, 62 percent of the Jewish communities surveyed said their security situation had deteriorated further since the start of the war with Iran, and they do not feel sufficiently supported by the authorities.
This case in Bavaria underscores a broader European challenge. As EU Justice Chief McGrath has emphasized zero tolerance for corruption across member states, similar vigilance is needed against hate crimes. The incident also echoes concerns raised in other sectors, such as Italy's antitrust probe into EasyJet over misleading pricing, where consumer protection and ethical standards are at stake.
