(JTA) — A woman told police in Palm Beach, Florida, that a man in a hotel bar told her to “get over Hitler” and pushed her when she ignored him.
The man, identified by local media as Clifford Scholz, 73, also said he was descended from “German royalty.”
Scholz, who was arrested Saturday hours after the incident and charged with simple battery and breaching the peace, both misdemeanors, told the Palm Beach Daily News that he is a yacht broker.
The unidentified victim said the man approached her at the Colony Hotel bar and said, “You must be Jewish,” then yelled, “You Jews and blacks should just get over Hitler.” The victim said that when she continued to ignore Scholz, he pushed her on the shoulder.
The woman told police that the remarks were especially hurtful because several of her relatives were killed by the Nazis, according to CBS12.
She said she will ask the state attorney’s office to charge Scholz with a hate crime, which would carry a longer sentence if he is convicted.
