As a protest step against the current government, leading restaurant owners in Israel will open their restaurants despite regulations prohibiting it. According to the law "Prohibition of Opening Entertainment Venues on Tisha B'Av" of 1997 and its amendment from 2002, it is stipulated that restaurants, bars, and any place defined as an eating establishment should be closed on the eve of Tisha B'Av. Business owners who do not comply with this directive are expected to be held accountable.
A large group of leading restaurant owners in the country, including Haim Cohen, Ruti Brudo, and Yuval Ben Neriah, announced that they do not intend to close their restaurants on the eve of Tisha B'Av and plan to continue working as usual. This is a surprising announcement since in previous years, restaurants in Tel Aviv and other cities in the country opened their doors but did not publicly declare it in such a widespread and clear manner.
Chef Yuval Ben Neriah responded firmly to the intention to open the restaurants and said, "I had no hesitation; we are open all year round, celebrating freedom of occupation. Therefore, tomorrow evening, we will open the restaurants as planned. In light of recent events, I feel it is my moral duty to remain loyal to my customers, who have been fighting for their rights for over 30 weeks at the Kaplan junction, right in front of restaurant A, for the sake of the country's values and our right to live in a democratic and liberal state."
In contrast to Ben Neriah, Chef Haim Cohen actually distanced himself from calling the upcoming action a protest and said, "We are opening tomorrow evening, not to blind anyone or provoke anyone. I don't think there's a protest here. Restaurants have been suffering a decline in business for the past six months, with an average loss of 35%, and some even more. We already see cafes closing or changing ownership, and that's the real reason."
Deputy Mayor of Tel Aviv, Haim Goren, responded to the restaurant owners: "Haven't we learned anything?! Tisha B'Av is the national day of mourning for the Jewish people for generations, and anyone who disrespects it primarily disrespects the memory of their grandfathers and grandmothers and all the previous generations who went through such difficult events on this day."
He further added: "I call upon the entire public, including the participants in the protests: Do not collaborate with this disgraceful act! It is not only a violation of the law but also an effort to promote baseless hatred and undermine the national solidarity that is the last common denominator that can hold us together! Do you really want to bring about destruction through force?"
