Berlin’s Shame: Eyal Shani Forced to Shutter Upscale Restaurant "Gila and Nancy"
Tel Aviv chef Eyal Shani’s high-profile Berlin restaurant, Gila and Nancy, has permanently closed. The closure follows a relentless campaign of harassment, threats against staff, and targeted disruptions by anti-Israel protesters that made the business unsustainable.
Eyal Shani’s upscale Israeli restaurant Gila and Nancy has permanently shut its doors after relentless harassment, threats against staff, and repeated disruptions by anti-Israel protesters made operations unsustainable.
The high-profile Tel Aviv chef, known for his distinctive culinary style and appearances on MasterChef Israel, opened the Berlin location in 2025 as his first European outpost. It quickly became a target for pro-Palestinian activists who objected to co-owner Shahar Segal’s previous role as spokesperson for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Staff reported being verbally abused, threatened, and intimidated on multiple occasions. Protesters repeatedly showed up outside the restaurant, disrupted service, and created an atmosphere of fear that ultimately drove away customers and made normal business impossible.
Israeli journalist Elad Simchayoff broke the news today, writing bluntly: “Your loss, Berlin.”
The closure marks the latest casualty in a growing wave of pressure against Israeli-owned or Jewish-owned businesses across Europe since the October 7, 2023 attacks and the ensuing Gaza war. Several other Israeli restaurants in Berlin and other European cities have faced similar boycotts, protests, and intimidation campaigns.
Eyal Shani has not yet issued a public statement, but sources close to the restaurant say the decision was made after it became clear the situation would not improve.