Following the protest of restaurant owners who decided to open their restaurants on the night of Tisha B'Av, Minister Karhi tweeted against Chef Haim Cohen, who operates the cafeterias in the Knesset.
Several prominent chefs in the country declared that in light of the government's decisions and the passing of the "Law to Reduce the Clause of Reasonability", they will open their restaurants on the evening of Tisha B'Av, contrary to regulations. According to the "Prohibition of Opening Entertainment Venues on Tisha B'Av" law from 1997, along with its amendment in 2002, it is determined that restaurants, bars, and any place defined as an eating establishment should be closed on the eve of Tisha B'Av. Business owners who choose not to comply with this directive are expected to receive penalties.
Chef Haim Cohen, who operates the cafeterias in the Knesset, also decided to join the protest, and his restaurants will remain open. Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi tweeted on Twitter and criticized the beloved chef: "If Chef Haim Cohen's restaurants open on the eve of Tisha B'Av, his dishes served in the Knesset will henceforth taste like the ashes of destruction in my eyes."
The minister quoted the verse of Rabbi Yehuda Halevi in "Libi B'Mizrach," and wrote: "And as in the song of Rabbi Yehuda Halevi, 'How can I taste what I eat, and how can it be sweet?' With all the justifications, did the chef also open on the night of Memorial Day for Israel's fallen soldiers?"
The tweet was signed by Karhi, with the words, "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither," referring to the destruction of Jerusalem and expressing the longing for the rebuilding of the city and the Temple.
Yesterday (Tuesday), when asked why he decided to join the protest, the chef said, "We are opening tomorrow evening not to make a statement or annoy anyone. I don't think this is a protest. Restaurants have suffered a 35% average decrease in business and losses in the past year, and some even more. We are already seeing cafes closing or changing ownership, and that is the real reason."
