German Guesthouse Turns Away Jews

GERMAN GUESTHOUSE TURNS AWAY ISRAELIS: "OUR APARTMENTS ARE NOT FOR THEM"

A group of Israeli tourists looking for board while planning a trip to Germany next summer were shocked after a guesthouse in the southwestern region of Baden-Württemberg last week urged them to cancel their reservation due to their nationality.

While planning a vacation for next August, the four Israeli families reserved lodging at the Mattenhof guesthouse in the Black Forest town of Zell am Harmersbach, explained one of the party's members, Igor Tsehansky.

However, shortly after confirming the reservation, the administrators of the guesthouse contacted the Israelis with a slew of messages and notified them that they should cancel the booking.

Tsehansky said that he and his friends received the German-language notice less than a week after making the arrangements.

"We don't Want have Guests from Israel, because our apartments are Not for them [sic]. Please cancel the Booking," read a Google translated message that Tsehansky posted to Facebook.

In light of the matter, the disgruntled Israeli traveler contacted the Booking.com platform that had facilitated the reservation to complain and request alternative accommodations.

According to Tsehansky, Booking.com said it had lowered the guesthouse's review score in light of the incident, although Jpost.com could not confirm the action.

While Tsehansky noted that he had successfully booked a separate hotel for another leg of the Germany trip, the issue with the Black Forest lodging represented a "specific incident."

(JP Staff, “German guesthouse turns away Israelis: 'Our apartments are not for them',” Jerusalem Post, 10/30/16)