Outrage as Swiss hotel orders 'Jewish guests' to shower before swimming

Israel's Foreign Ministry send an official complaint

Arosa in Switzerland (Stephen Colebourne/Flickr )

A Swiss hotel has sparked outrage after it posted signs telling its Jewish customers to take a shower before using the pool.

Israel's Foreign Ministry sent an official complaint to the Aparthaus Paradies, in the Alpine resort village of Arosa in eastern Switzerland.

A horrified guest at the hotel reportedly posted a picture of the note outside the swimming pool on Facebook.

It read: "To our Jewish guests: Please take a shower before you go swimming and although after swimming. If you break the rules, I'm forced to close the swimming pool for you."

The Times of Israel reported that another sign plastered one the refrigerator read: "For our Jewish guests: You may access the refrigerator only in the following hours:10-11am and 4.30-5.30pm. I hope you understand that our team does not like being disturbed all the time."

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister, Tzipi Hotovely, called the incident "an anti-Semitic act of the worst and ugliest kind".

However hotel manager Ruth Thomann, who signed the notice, insited it was a misunderstanding and that there was no anti-Semitic intent.

Ms Thomann claimed the hotel was very popular with orthodox Jewish clients and that other guests had complained that some did not shower before using the pool and had asked her to do something about it, the Agence France Presse reports.

"I wrote something naive on that poster," she said and admitted that she should have addressed all guests with the same message.

She said many of the Jewish clients were using the freezer located in the staff room to store kosher food and she felt she had to ensure staff could enjoy "their lunch and dinner in peace".

Ms Hotovely told the Times of Israel she had spoken with Israel's ambassador to Switzerland, Jacob Keidar, who confirmed the signs had been removed.

But she said removing the signs was not sufficient as anti-Semitism in Europe was "still a reality" and that punishments had to act as deterrents.

Ms Hotovely reportedly demanded a "formal condemnation from Bern".

Swiss Foreign Ministry spokesman Tilman Renz told the AFP in an email that the ministry had been in contact with Mr Keidar and had "outlined to him that Switzerland condemns racism, anti-Semitism and discrimination in any form".