The new owners of the River Restaurant in Ra’anana have decided to close its doors on Shabbos, a move that has outraged Ra’anana Councilwoman (Meretz) Edit Diamant, who is calling to boycott the restaurant all week.
Using Facebook to get her messages out, Diamant calls on former Shabbos patrons of the restaurant to boycott River during the week as well towards showing the tzibur does not approve of the decision to become Shomer Shabbos.
Her post states “River Restaurant in Ra’anana this week has become kosher and is closed on Friday night and Shabbos. From what I understand, this issue is important to the new owner. As a veteran client of the restaurant, and because few restaurants are open in Ra’anana on Friday night and even fewer offering deliveries, I am hurt by this change and therefore plan to avoid the restaurant all week and I call on all those who feel this is important to do the same. It is important for the public at large to express its opinion and vote by its actions if we expect anyone to address our needs”. Signed Edit Diamant.
The new owner, Eyal Mizrachi, spoke with Mordechai Lavi of Radio Kol Chai. Eyal, 28, started to keep Torah and mitzvos about a decade ago.
He explained that he belongs to the same restaurant chain, “River” and now he is kosher and in the coming weeks hopes to become mehadrin when the restaurant will be ready and approved. Eyal adds the overwhelming number of responses praised the move and on motzei Shabbos, some of the patrons came from as far as Jerusalem just to show their support for his move and to wish him success.
Photo: Facebook posts from Councilwoman Diamant’s page
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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9 Responses
You know those people that sit in restaurants and all they do is complain and whine in really loud annoying voices?
You know those people that sit in the Knesset and all they do is complain and whine in really loud annoying voices?
Meretz boycotting a restaurant would be incentive for me to come. I would hate to be sitting there next to a Meretz councilwoman. Kol hakavod, Eyal!
what a “wonderful” state of israel we have
Only in Israel
What you didn’t include in your story is that many people who are not dati – including several members of Meretz – condemned what Diamant wrote, saying (among other things) that complaining about someone who is upholding the Jewish traditions is wrong, that it’s a private business and the owner can do as he wants, and that someone who changes his restaurant from traif to kosher should not be coerced to keep it traif.
You missed the part where this backfired on her, with plenty of MEretz supporters being angered by her post and some even saying they’d davka go there to support the owner’s decision, even though they themselves aren’t shomrei shabbos
And Edit Diamant wants to know how the DBS movement has any success at all?
No bigger anti-Semite than a Jewish one!
Simple solution. Anyone in the area should stop in and suport this restaurant. Give them Chizuk.
Mr’s edit diammant,really shame on you,you know your movement’s groups never ever will succeed.stop damagin am israel society and theirs believe in hashem trusted. Go on this restaurant RIVER seat,realx and things where you coming from please found your original root and identify. Am israel proofs 3340 years. Jewish people around the world first looking for Jewish community. You looking for propaganda inside in ertz yisrael.thing about it!? against shomer shabbat! How about am israel making ALIA the new immigrants_so sorry this a terrible bad name you’ve created the restaurant shouldn’t be open on shabbat.
From NY love am israel eretz israel
This is all true, but outdated. Meretz has officially disowned the statement, and Diamant pulled the post as well. They belatedly realized how absurd they appeared.