Intifada success - Israeli businesses crumbling

by Daniella Peled
Totally Jewish
October 3, 2002

The award-winning chef has developed a unique brand of cuisine inspired by the ancient history of the Holy Land that draws heavily on ingredients mentioned in the Old Testament, like grapes, olives, figs and dates.

He delights in searching the surrounding countryside for gourmet treats such as wild hyssop and forest mushrooms to use in his dishes.

Specialities of the house include quail with pomegranate and a fragrant ice cream made from powdered orchids.

But these delicacies are not enough to tempt people into the heart of Jerusalem, hit by bomb after bomb in the last two years.

“People are afraid to travel to Jerusalem,” Basson says grimly. “Yesterday we had two couples in the restaurant. You can’t compare it to how it was before. In September 2000 the place was so busy people used to book a year- and-a-half in advance to ensure a table.

“From last Pesach we stopped serving lunch. We would have maybe two couples, or maybe none, and we needed at least 40 customers to cover our costs.

When we had lunch and dinner every day we had more than 30 people working here – waiters, chefs, cleaners. We now employ about three.”

The restaurant’s stunning location, in a piazza surrounded by gardens and a five-minute walk from the Old City, was once a favoured venue for mayor Ehud Olmert to entertain foreign dignitaries.

Basson recalls with pleasure cooking for a delegation from the Vatican and huge parties of American senators.

Ministers from the Palestinian Authority used to meet there alongside their Israeli counterparts. Arabs and Jews mingled in the spacious, rustic interior.
“Now it doesn’t happen,” he says bleakly.

The reasons are clear. “First of all terror. Then the crisis in Israel’s hi-tech economy and also the lack of tourism.

People from the US and Europe just aren’t coming, and this is a cycle that affects others who depend on tourism. A lot of my friend’s businesses are having to close down.”

Asked about the future, Bassin sighs. The harsh reality he faces seems inevitable. He has watched all the surrounding restaurants close down one by one.

“People ask me how long I can stand it. I owe NIS 700,000 (£92,000) to the bank and in rent. Before the intifada, in a really remarkable year, we might have made up to NIS 600,000 (£80,000) before taxes.
“But it’s not just money I invested in this building. It’s also my heart and soul.”