Pub of the Revolution Opens

Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
You never drink alone.
Dozens of enthusiastic youngsters trooped to the opening of Israel’s first cooperative pub, founded in Tel Aviv’s bohemian Florentine neighborhood by a group of leaders of the social protest movement.
About half the revelers at Bar Kiama (Hebrew for “Viable”) were shareholders who had invested NIS 1,000 each, and will be entitled to wholesale price food and drink for life.
“It’s my bar,” one of them said without blinking when I asked them about the place.
One could say the pub, whose founders include Yigal Rambam and Julian Feder, shows protest activists just wanna have fun. But it also stands for building things and setting an example, reminiscent of the beginning of the previous century, when huge cooperatives were set up here.
For more, go to Haaretz.com
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
