French Jewish filmmaker Claude Lanzmann has accused Hotel Bristol, a five-star hotel in Berlin, of intentionally removing Israel from a list of international dialing codes in response to pressure by Arab guests. The hotel denies the claim.
Lanzmann, who is known for directing the renowned Holocaust documentary “Shoah,” told the German newspaper the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that a hotel employee told him Israel was not on the list because Arab guests of the hotel requested that it be removed.
However, hotel director Birgitt Ullerich denied the allegation.
She told The Associated Press that only 34 countries were on the list and Israel’s absence “was simply an oversight.”
Nevertheless, Berlin Interior Minister Frank Henkel has asked the hotel to investigate the allegation.
The hotel is part of the Kempinski group, which has its roots in a restaurant founded by German Jewish businessman Berthold Kempinski.
By: JNS.org and AP