Story perspectives

Booking.com Drops Hotel After Antisemitic ‘No Jews’ Sign

6/3/2026

Summary

Story summary

Booking.com removed Hotel zum Hirschen after the “no Jews allowed” message was publicized.
German police opened a criminal investigation for breach of paragraph 130 incitement to hatred.
The hotel apologized, called the reply a mistake, and offered the Israeli family a week’s stay.
Israel’s consul general Talya Lador condemned the message as reminiscent of the 1930s.
The Federal Criminal Police Office recorded 6,236 antisemitic incidents in 2024, including 173 crimes.

History

Historical Context

The Kristallnacht pogrom of November 9-10, 1938, unleashed violent attacks on Jewish businesses across Germany, prompting international condemnation. The Nazi regime ordered the destruction of over 1,000 synagogues, while the Berlin police recorded 2,000 arrests that night. Today, Booking.com delisted Hotel zum Hirschen after an Israeli family reported a “no Jews allowed” sign, prompting German police to invoke §130 hate-incitement statutes. These parallels underscore how historic antisemitic violence still shapes modern legal responses, urging stricter enforcement and education to prevent recurrence.

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Story summary

Booking.com removed Hotel zum Hirschen after the “no Jews allowed” message was publicized.
German police opened a criminal investigation for breach of paragraph 130 incitement to hatred.
The hotel apologized, called the reply a mistake, and offered the Israeli family a week’s stay.
Israel’s consul general Talya Lador condemned the message as reminiscent of the 1930s.
The Federal Criminal Police Office recorded 6,236 antisemitic incidents in 2024, including 173 crimes.

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