Swiss hotel under fire for “anti-Semitic” signage

A hotel in the Swiss resort village of Arosa has gone viral this week for all the wrong reasons, after signs posted around the hotel were accused of anti-Semitism.

According to a report from CNN, the Paradies Hotel had signs hung the instructed Jewish guests specifically to shower before using the hotel pool, as well as restricting the hours they could use the hotel freezer.

“To our Jewish guests, women, men and children, please take a shower before you go swimming,” one sign said.

“If you break the rules I’m forced to cloes (sic) the swimming pool for you.”

The second sign under fire was in the kitchen, and was addressed to “our Jewish guests”.

Per CNN, the sign said the hotel’s freezer would only be available to access from 10-11 am and from 4:30-5:30pm.

“I hope you understand that our team does not like being disturbed all the time,” it read.

Guests staying at the Paradies hotel saw the signs and posted them on social media, hence the news going viral worldwide.

Can you believe this?
Swiss hotel left this message to Jewish guests: “Please take a shower before you go swimming”https://t.co/9fgbgoCR9t pic.twitter.com/qERuKjB9My
— Jewish News (@JewishNewsUK) August 14, 2017

The manager of the hotel, Ruth Thomann, defended herself in Swiss media, telling newspaper Blick that she was not anti-Semitic, but was just trying to remedy the issue of guests, particularly Jewish, not showering before using the pool.

The hotel signs were reportedly made during a period when numerous Jewish guests visit.

Thomann told Blick, “I made the sign without sensitivity and now I am paying for it dearly”.

Per CNN, she also said the sign regarding freezer usage was also misunderstood, and that she was trying to ensure hotel staff could still enjoy lunch breaks and work efficiently at the same time as accommodating Jewish guests and their kosher food needs.

“As a service we offer to our Jewish guests, they can store their kosher food in our (staff) freezer,” she said, per Blick.

Hotel Paradies

According to CNN, the former Israeli Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, said there was “no place” for “disgusting notices in hotels that are aimed at Jews alone”.

Meanwhile, an Israeli guest told CNN’s affiliate Channel 2 that the hotel manager was lovely to him and his family, which was why they found the signs so confronting.

“No one addressed her because we didn’t want to start a confrontation,” he told Channel 2, adding that a number of Jewish guests were staying at the hotel from destinations like the United States, the UK and Belgium.

“It was very strange and the sort of anti-Semitic incident we have not been exposed to before,” he said.

Per reports, the signs have since been removed.

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