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Gil Ofarim

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Gil Ofarim
Ofarim in 2018.
Ofarim in 2018.
Background information
Birth nameGil Doron Reichstadt Ofarim
Born (1982-08-13) 13 August 1982 (age 42)
Munich, West Germany
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • actor
InstrumentElectric guitar
Years active1997–present
Websitewww.gilofarim.de

Gil Doron Reichstadt Ofarim (born 13 August 1982) is a German singer, songwriter, and actor, also known as the lead singer of the bands Zoo Army and Acht.

Early life

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Ofarim is the first child of Israeli musician Abi Ofarim (1937–2018) and his third wife Sandra. He has a younger brother, Tal, a musician, who was born in 1984. Gil speaks German, Hebrew and English. He sings in English and German.

Music career

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Ofarim's showbiz career took off in May 1997 when he was spotted in a Munich underground station by a talent scout for Bravo magazine and was asked to do a pictorial story spread. The article generated thousands of letters from fans and he landed a recording contract with BMG. His first single "Round 'n' Round (It Goes)" was released in November 1997 and became a top 40 hit in Germany. Ofarim' debut album Here I Am was released to international success in May 1998.[1]

2003–2007: On My Own

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Ofarim on stage at the Hockenheimring in 2004.

After several other successful singles, Ofarim became increasingly disenchanted with being a teen idol. His 2003 album On My Own, released on Neotone Records, showcased his move in a different musical direction, taking his work further into the pop rock and adult contemporary genres.[2] While the album failed to chart,[3] it produced the single "The Reason" and led to a stint as Bon Jovi's opening act on the German leg of their Bounce Tour.[2] In 2004, Ofarim ventured into acting when he co-starred in the ProSieben coming-of-age film Endlich Sex! alongside Jasmin Schwiers. In it, he played musician Christoph, the love interest of lead role Saskia. The film was broadcast to moderate ratings but was largely panned by critics.[4] Ofarim performed several songs in Endlich Sex!, including "In Your Eyes" which was released by Neotone as a single in March 2004.[5]

Starting in 2005, Ofarim became the lead singer of the rock band Zoo Army, also consisting of his brother Tal, Roland Söns and Dominik Scholz. They released their first single "I'm Alive" and their debut album 507 in the first half of 2006.[2] The same year, he had a supporting role in the RTL two-part television drama film Storm Tide [de], a fictionalized ensemble story depicting the events surrounding the North Sea flood of 1962. Starring a roster of bankable television actors such as Jan Josef Liefers and Götz George, the film earned largely favorable reviews and strong ratings.[6] Also in 2016, Ofarim played the lead role in the American b movie Strip Mind, which opened in Germany on 3 January 2007. The psychological thriller was largely panned by critics who criticized its casting, pacing and the "horrible" synchronization.[7] The following year, Disney consulted him to record "So nah," the German version of Jon McLaughlin's "So Close" from the musical fantasy film Enchanted (2007) as well as "Mehr als du seh’n kannst," a re-written version of Rufus Wainwright's "Another Believer," for the animated science fiction comedy film Meet the Robinsons (2007).[2]

2008–present: Band career and Alles auf Hoffnung

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In 2008, Ofarim had a guest role in an episode of the children's television series Ein Fall für B.A.R.Z..[2] The same year, he formed another rock band, Acht, along with Oswin Ottl, Petros Kontos, and Andy Lind. Their debut album, Stell dir vor, entirely recorded in German and released in 2010, reflected a new domestic-marketing approach. The quartet supported American singer Alex Band throughout his European concert tour.[2] Also in 2020, Ofarim had appeared as a guest in the ZDF crime television series Ein starkes Team.[2] In October 2012, Ofarim was a contestant on the second season of The Voice of Germany. Coached by singer Xavier Naidoo, he was eliminated in the season's quarter final.[8] His live performances of The Goo Goo Dolls's "Iris" (1998) and Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" both entered the German Singles Chart and marked his first chart entries in a decade.[8]

In 2013, Ofarim had a recurring role as Mick in the mystery series Armans Geheimnis, produced by and broadcast on Das Erste. In 2017, he took part in the German TV series Let's Dance and became winner with his dance partner Ekaterina Leonova. On 1 August 2019, he was revealed to be the Grasshopper on The Masked Singer where he was placed as runner-up.

Personal life

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In 2007, a newly identified species of moth from the Amata genus and found in Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights was named Amata gil after him.[9]

On 15 December 2014 Gil married his longtime girlfriend Verena Brock. On 6 March 2015 the couple welcomed their first child, a son Leonard (Leo) Dean Ofarim. On 30 January 2017 the couple welcomed their second child, a daughter Anouk Marie Ofarim.

The couple separated, giving Gil full custody of the children. However the exact date and year of this is still not exact. Gil Ofarim has kindly asked that all press and media leave him and Verena Brock alone during this difficult time. [citation needed]

Star of David libel case

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In October 2021, Ofarim attracted international attention through a video he posted on Instagram and titled “Antisemitismus in Deutschland 2021” (Antisemitism in Germany 2021),[10] in which he spoke about experiencing pain and embarrassment from antisemitic treatment while checking in at the Leipzig Westin hotel. Ofarim said that he was told to put away his Star of David pendant by a manager, otherwise they would not check him in.[11][12][13] His Instagram video was shared widely, also by the American Jewish Congress, which then started an online petition calling the hotel owner, Marriott, to apologize and educate its employees about antisemitism.[14] On October 5, about 600 people congregated in front of the hotel to protest antisemitism.[15]

Later, the statements by Ofarim were contradicted by two hotel employees and three guests, and according to closed-circuit television recordings, Ofarim did not wear a visible neck chain during the time in question. Confronted with the footage, Ofarim then explained that the exclamation came from behind, and that it was not about the star or the chain, but “about something far bigger.” as he told he was recognized as he appeared in television. Ofarim claimed the hotel did not release the whole footage.[16] Five witnesses furthermore mentioned during a police investigation that Ofarim had used swearwords against the hotel while in the lobby, threatening staff to "post an Instagram video that will go viral".[17] Ofarim did not respond to an inquiry made by Die Zeit investigating whether Ofarim blackmailed the employee.[18]

In March 2022, the German Public Prosecutor's Office discontinued proceedings against the hotel employee and brought charges against Ofarim for libel and false suspicion.[19][20]

On November 28, 2023, on the 6th day of the trial, Ofarim confessed that he had made up the two year lasting allegations against the hotel employee and apologized to the hotel manager, who accepted Ofarim's apology. The proceedings against Ofarim were discontinued on the condition that he pay an amount of 5,000 euros (a total of 10,000 euros) each to the Jewish Community of Leipzig and the memorial and educational center - House of the Wannsee Conference. The court justified the discontinuation of the proceedings by explaining that the hotel manager had been vindicated more effectively by Ofarim's apology than would have been possible through a verdict.[21][22][23]

Discography

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Studio albums

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Title Album details Peak positions
GER
[3] 		AUT
[24] 		SWI
[25]
Here I Am
  • Released: 25 May 1998
  • Label: RCA Local
  • Formats: CD
 20 47 34
The Album
  • Released: 2 May 2000
  • Label: Ariola
  • Formats: CD
 — — —
On My Own
  • Released: 26 May 2003
  • Label: Neotone
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 — — —
Alles auf Hoffnung
  • Released: 28 February 2020
  • Label: We Love Music
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 5 71 41

Singles

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  • "Round ’n’ Round (It Goes)" (1997)
  • "Never Giving Up Now" (1998)
  • "If You Only Knew" (featuring The Moffatts) (1998)
  • "Here I Am" (1998)
  • "Let the Music Heal Your Soul" (featuring Various Artists) (1998)
  • "Talk to You" (1998)
  • "Calling" (1998) (featuring Karylle)
  • "Walking Down the Line" (1999)
  • "Out of My Bed (Still in My Head)" (1999)
  • "It's Your Love" (2000)
  • "The Reason" (2003)
  • "She" (2003 – not released)
  • "In Your Eyes" (2004)
  • "I'm Alive" (Zoo Army) (2006)
  • "Still" (Acht) (2010)

References

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  1. ^ [1] Archived 11 February 2021 at the Wayback Machine Gil Ofarim fan site. URL referenced 27 August 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Stellmacher, Horst (4 June 2020). "Gil Ofarim: "Ich habe Jon Bon Jovi wüst beschimpft"". express.de. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Gil Ofarim discography". germancharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  4. ^ Gehringer, Thomas (25 March 2004). "Der "Bravo"-Fotoroman funktioniert auch als Pro-7-Komödie". tagesspiegel.de. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  5. ^ "In Your Eyes – Single". amazon.de. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Mehrteiler "Die Sturmflut"". tittelbach.tv. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  7. ^ "Strip Mind". kino.de. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Gil Ofarim: Der einstige Teenie-Star will es noch einmal wissen". augsburger-allgemeine.de. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  9. ^ Witt, Thomas J.; Kravchenko, Vasiliy D.; Spiedel, Wolfgang; Mooser, Josef; Junnila, Amy; Müller, Günter C. (2007). "A new Amata species from Israel (Arctiidae, Syntominae)" (PDF). Nota Lepidopterologica. 30 (2): 367–373. ISSN 0342-7536.
  10. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayx-vDlVo4k, which was reposted on YouTube from Ofarim's Instagram account by the American Jewish Congress on October 5th, 2021
  11. ^ Protests grow after singer says German hotel refused him over Star of David | The Times of Israel
  12. ^ Protests break out over German-Israeli singer who said he was turned away from German hotel for wearing Star of David | The Independent
  13. ^ German singer says hotel staff asked him to hide his Star of David | Germany | The Guardian
  14. ^ Toi Staff (18 October 2021). "New video seems to challenge singer's claim of antisemitism at German hotel". The Times of Israel.
  15. ^ "Nach Diskriminierung von Sänger Gil Ofarim: 600 Menschen demonstrieren in Leipzig gegen Antisemitismus" [After discrimination of singer Gil Ofarim: 600 people protest in Leipzig against antisemitism]. Volksstimme (in German). 5 October 2021.
  16. ^ Liphshiz, Cnaan. "Singer doubles down on accusations of antisemitism at German hotel". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  17. ^ "Davistern-Affäre: Fünf Zeugen belasten Gil Ofarim". 28 October 2021.
  18. ^ "Ofarim trug bei Hotelvorfall laut Medien womöglich keinen Davidstern" [During hotel incident, media report that Ofarim possibly did not wear a Star of David]. Die Zeit. 17 October 2021.
  19. ^ LTO. "Staatsanwaltschaft erhebt Anklage gegen Gil Ofarim". Legal Tribune Online (in German). Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  20. ^ "German-Israeli singer charged with lying about antisemitism at hotel". Times of Israel. 31 March 2022.
  21. ^ "Singer Gil Ofarim admits he lied about antisemitic incident". DW. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  22. ^ LTO. "Gil Ofarim legt vor Gericht Geständnis ab". Spiegel (in German). Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  23. ^ mdr.de. "Wende im Prozess: Ofarim gesteht Falschaussage und entschuldigt sich | MDR.DE". www.mdr.de (in German). Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  24. ^ "Gil Ofarim discography". austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  25. ^ "Gil Ofarim discography". hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
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