After publication, the Post became aware of the fact that Farha is no longer broadcast on Netflix.
Machneyuda, the iconic restaurant that had its genesis in the Mahaneh Yehuda market, and then expanded into a chain of restaurants in Israel and abroad, has now gone academic. Well, not exactly, but near enough. Chefs Assaf Granit and Uri Navon have launched an additional branch of their popular eatery at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Edmond J. Safra Campus in Givat Ram.
Located in Belgium House and offering a meat-based chef’s menu, the new facility can seat 120 diners and is open to the Hebrew University community and campus guests. A food truck is also expected to open on campus soon.
The restaurant is located near the university’s new Senior Faculty Club, which has seating for 50, as well as quiet workrooms. The club will serve as a hub for brainstorming and research meetups, offering an innovative and informal atmosphere. It will also host a variety of activities and events.
Hebrew University Director-General Naama Kaufman-Pass said of the new venture: “We’re proud to partner with the Machneyuda Group, a key force in bringing Jerusalem’s cuisine to international attention. Together, the new restaurant and Senior Faculty Club will create a central meeting place for the Hebrew University community and a welcoming destination for visitors, deepening the ties between the university and the local community.”
Granit was equally pleased. “Bringing the flavors of our Jerusalem kitchen to campus is a real privilege,” he said. “Belgium House will be a lively gathering place for the academic community, and we’re proud to bring the food, energy, and spirit of Mahaneh Yehuda here.”
New Machneyuda branch at Hebrew University
■ IN OTHER Hebrew University news, the Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Dental Medicine has announced the establishment of the Robert I. Schattner Center for Oral Health for People with Disabilities, an innovative center dedicated to providing quality dental care for people with physical, cognitive, and complex medical conditions.
This new center is facilitated through the generosity of three partners: the Schattner Foundation; Henry Schein, Inc.; and the Bergman Family Charitable Foundation. Among those present at the inauguration of the Schattner Center were senior Hebrew University and Hadassah representatives, as well as Sidney Bresler, president and chairman of the Schattner Foundation; Stanley M. Bergman, chairman and CEO of Henry Schein, Inc.; and Dr. Marion Bergman on behalf of the Bergman Family Charitable Foundation.
The center, with five advanced treatment rooms, will serve approximately 30 to 40 patients daily. Treatment will be provided by dental specialists and interns from a variety of disciplines. It will enable patients to receive high-quality, holistic, multidisciplinary care under one roof.
The center will also serve as a hub for continuing education courses that will equip community dentists with the knowledge and the confidence to treat patients with disabilities.
“People with disabilities often face immense barriers to receiving proper dental care. This center will provide not only treatment but also training for future generations of dentists to care for this population with professionalism, empathy, and expertise,” said Prof. Avraham Zini, dean of the dental school. “The establishment of the Robert I. Schattner Oral Health Center represents a major step forward in our mission to make oral health accessible to all.
New dental center for people with disabilities
■ EVERY FEW months, Mayor Moshe Lion attends Shabbat services at the Hazvi Yisrael synagogue on Hovevei Zion Street in Talbiyeh. He will be there this Saturday, the Hanukkah Shabbat, which this month coincides with the beginning of the month of Tevet.
As the mayor walks from his home in Rehavia, he cannot help but notice the terrible condition of the roads and pavements. There’s not much point in doing anything immediately about those streets that border the construction of light rail infrastructure. But the cracks and potholes are also prevalent in streets that are not designated for light rail transportation.
Talbiyeh is one of the neighborhoods in which homes are impressive, and city rates and taxes are particularly high, indicating that it’s an upscale neighborhood. Surely, it deserves better roads and pavements.
When Lion attends synagogue services, he usually leads part of the service or reads from the Torah. This time, he will have strong competition from musician, composer, and singer Aharon Razel, who has delighted congregants in the past. Perhaps the two will harmonize.
Last Saturday, the congregation celebrated the 95th birthday of one of its most veteran members, Chuck Solomon. The kiddush was so packed with well-wishers, that no one could move without bumping into someone else.
■ BROADCASTER, AUTHOR, historian, and blogger Yanky Fachler, who lives in Ireland but is a frequent visitor to Jerusalem, has many friends and fans in Israel. He keeps them up to date on news items they may have missed, sending regular emails under the heading “Yanky’s Morale-Boosting Doodles.”
Here’s one that he sent last Friday: “What would you do if you found $40,000 pre-Hanukkah gelt stuffed into the wall of your apartment? While renovating an apartment he had just bought, a student at Jerusalem’s Slabodka yeshiva found NIS 150,000 stuffed into a wall.
“Previously, the seller had cared for her brother in the apartment until he died. The discovery raised the question of ownership: Did the money transfer to the buyer with the property, or did it remain the seller’s, even if she didn’t know it existed?
“Rabbi Yehuda Silman ruled that ethically and legally, the money must be returned to the seller. The woman was visibly emotionally moved when the cash was handed to her in the presence of the student’s family and others. Fighting back tears, she asked: ‘Why don’t they report such good things in the media?’”
Fachler will be in Israel on December 24 to speak on “The US Banker, the Japanese Diplomat, and the Jews of Shanghai” to members of the Israel branch of the Jewish Historical Society of England. The talk will be held at Shir Hadash-Beit Natan, 1 Ya’acov Rubin St., Talbiyeh (close to the 91 bus route), at 7:45 p.m. Admission is NIS 25.
Afterward, participants might want to listen to Christmas carols at the nearby YMCA or at one of the churches in the Old City.
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