Corridors of Power: Approved by whom?

Residents are starting to complain about eateries and entertainment venues staying open past 11 p.m.

By PEGGY CIDOR
Bar (illustrative)_521 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Bar (illustrative)_521
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Suppose you had a coffee shop right next to your home. No need to take out the car and search for an expensive parking space, no need to get too dressed up, perhaps not even to shave – after all, it’s just below your window, on your way to take out the trash – why bother?
And how about having your favorite restaurant on the corner of your street? There’d be no need to clean the dishes and the mugs, to make sure there’s enough coffee or milk – everything you need is right there.
But it turns out that not everyone is so happy when such a convenience becomes reality. Strange people, those who insist upon drinking the coffee they prepare at home, eating the meal they cook on their own and what’s hardly believable – they enjoy the calm and silence of their own homes.
Along these lines, haredi representatives at the city council are pressuring the mayor to rule that every business – restaurant, coffee shop, bar or anything else functioning in a residential area, will close by 11 p.m.
This is more or less what has been overtaking Jerusalem. On the one hand, cozy neighborhood places – coffee shops, bars and restaurants as well as 24-hour mini-markets – have brought a dramatic change to the city’s atmosphere over the years. But on the other hand, many of these places operate very close to residential areas. There hasn’t been much contention among residents, aside from two famous cases – when the Paradiso restaurant, located in Rehavia in the ’90s, eventually moved to Rehov Keren Hayesod following a petition by the neighbors, and the coffee shop-restaurant adjacent to the Smadar movie theater was forced to build a fence around its grounds.
But what is happening now? Are the residents of Jerusalem becoming more protective of their rest hours?
Well, it seems that the truth, as in most cases, is quite complex. Most of the concern expressed by these city council members refer to restaurants that have recently opened in the Mahaneh Yehuda market region. Sure, there are neighbors around, but as In Jerusalem was told by a woman who lived there until a few months ago, “most of the noise is during the earliest hours of the day, when merchandise is delivered. Imagine what it is to be awakened by the noise of the large trucks and the shouting of the truck drivers at dawn.”
It turns out that the restaurant that most angers the haredi representatives is the gourmet – and nonkosher – restaurant Mahaneyuda. A source from the municipal construction and planning committee chaired by deputy mayor Kobi Kahlon, who is vehemently opposed to moving entertainment venues away from the city center, says that the opposition is probably linked to the fact that recently many haredim have moved to Nahlaot and Mahaneh Yehuda.
“Mahaneh Yehuda and Nahlaot have become in recent years very Jewish and spiritual neighborhoods – featuring music, Jewish studies, a special Shabbat atmosphere and the like – and a very prominent nonkosher restaurant in this part of the town ‘breaks’ the special kind of character of this place,” adds the source. “But that’s exactly what attracts tourists here from abroad and from the center of the country.” So what will happen? Are we going to see a withdrawal from the lively – and charming – atmosphere this city is experiencing? The answer is unclear. But for the moment, the decision of the municipality is to raise the issue at one of the next meetings on auxiliary rules, and to bring an adequate change in closing times to businesses in both the city center and residential areas.
One thing is sure, however. The current rule (ignored) demands that every business operating in a residential area should close by 8 p.m.