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(JTA) – The man heading to a small Jewish community in Hamburg, Germany, has been accused of being a Jew for at least two decades.
An investigation by Der Spiegel magazine into the biography of Wolfgang Seibert, head of the 250-member Jewish community of Pinneberg since 2003, revealed that he may be an imposter.
Seibert is denying the Spiegel report, which was published Friday, telling the German media he would respond after speaking with his lawyer. He also told the magazine that he said he would withdraw from his position.
The position is unpaid but gives its leader access to community funds.
Seibert, 71, has been published in the United States of America. He calls himself a liberal Jew and has been active as a promoter of interfaith dialogue.
But Spiegel reporters Martin Doerry and Moritz Gerlach found documents indicating that Seibert was born on Aug. 16, 1947, to Protestant parents in Frankfurt, and was baptized a few days later. His grandparents also were Protestant, the report says, adding that it is unlikely that Seibert had any Jewish ancestors. His paternal grandfather was a German sergeant in World War II and his father was a private.
According to the magazine, Seibert was convicted several times for fraud and embezzlement, and served time in jail well before he began his Jewish leadership role.
Rabbi Walter Rothschild, who had served as head rabbi for the Reform Jewish Communities in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein from 2003 to 2015, raised the question of Seibert's identity with the Jewish court, or beth din, after the rabbi was fired from his post. Rothschild served the small Reform congregations in the state and became acquainted with Seibert, and reportedly recalled the difficulty that Seibert had in documenting his Jewish roots.
As Seibert was introduced to these topics, Seibert was introduced to the process of being translated into English and French, and was co-founding the Pinneberg Jewish community, according to Spiegel. he had been a member of the Jewish community of Frankfurt am Main from 1972 to 1982 and his mother's name was Cohen.)
The rabbinical court has decided that it is enough proof that
But the Spiegel reporters found many other records, including the Institute for City History in Frankfurt, the Yad Vashem Memorial Center in Jerusalem and the International Tracing Service in Bad Arolsen in Germany. They also interviewed people who had known Seibert, including trainers of the Seibert himself.
Though Seibert told them he had uncontrovertible evidence of his Jewishness, and this time said his mother's name was Sznajder, he did not produce any documents. He also said that he had been in the forefront of the past few years.
The journal suggests that it is not politically correct in Germany to challenge Jewish identity, so it may have been relatively simple to hide under the protective cover of a presumed Jewish past.
In a second interview with Seibert, the journalists confronted him with their documentary evidence. At this point, Seibert reportedly stated that the most important thing was that he had "felt" Jewish from an early age, and that he had told stories to "match the Jewish identity I felt I had."
He also told them he would resign from his position in Pinneberg – claim Seibert now denies.
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