Israeli author Tuvia Tenenbom in Derry bar
Israeli author Tuvia Tenenbom filmed several men in the bar in a predominantly nationalist area making the comments last October.
They made offensive remarks including references to Hitler’s treatment of the Jews.
The PSNI confirmed that a complaint had been received and enquiries were ongoing into the incident.
The film-maker Mr Tenenbom is the founding artistic director of the Jewish Theatre of New York.
He visited Northern Ireland as part of a seven-month book tour of Britain and Ireland looking into theatre, which was also being filmed as part of a documentary.
Mr Tenenbom said he visited Derry upon recommendation and because it was close to the Irish border.
In a clip which has gone viral on social media the 62-year-old visits Derry’s Bogside area and asks bemused locals why there are so many Palestinian flags flying in the area.
Some drinkers that respond say they “hate Jews” describing Israelis as “child murdering scum” and they were the “scourge of the Earth”.
One of the group shouted: “The only thing Hitler did wrong was he didn’t kill enough f***ing Jews.”
Police have confirmed that they have received a complaint in relation to the video and are investigating.
Mr Tenenbom told the U105 Frank Mitchell phone-in show: “I have dealt with this type of antisemitism before… I have met with many people who are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause,”
“I don’t think I ever have met people who have so much hatred for the Jews as I met in Northern Ireland and Ireland and that includes Derry.
“I have never seen people so hated of Jews. There are anti-Semites in Germany, there are anti-semites all over the world. This kind of hatred that I found – and Derry is a small place. I have never seen so much.”
The video was posted on social media on Sunday, and since then there has been widespread condemnation of the remarks.
Steven Jaffe, a Belfast member of the Jewish Leadership Council, said anti-Semitism was an “evil danger”.
Mr Jaffe added that the Jewish community enjoys the respect of the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland, and called “upon faith and political leaders to educate their communities”.
Another Belfast-based Jewish representative, Katy Radford, said the remarks were “degrading” and “hate-inciting”.
“There is never any excuse for remarks which in turn can lead to inciting others to hate, hate incidents and hate crimes,” she told BBC News NI.
“We should actively work together to prevent and counter extreme viewpoints and understand the legacy of past traumas. This will aid our own healing here rather than promoting bar-room revolutionaries.”
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said: “These comments are totally unacceptable; both the language and sentiment is not reflective of the people of Derry.
“I know the views expressed in the video will be widely and rightly rejected by the people of Derry.”
Israeli author Tuvia Tenenbom
There are long-standing links between various groups in the North of Ireland and the opposing sides in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
There is a history of nationalists and republicans supporting the Palestinian territories while many unionists and loyalists support Israel.
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