Ziv Rahifor and Shahaf Pripaz probably never imagined that a video they posted online asking users to help them reduce economic damage by buying merchandise that had accumulated in their pub, "Sderot Pub", would soon go viral and be shared by network personalities such as Or Spitz. "There is a real fear that when everything is over, we will find ourselves in a financial hole. On a day-to-day basis, it doesn't concern me, I'm very focused on my reserves, the right and pride to wear a uniform at this time," Rakhipour, one of the bar's owners, tells us.
Will you open the pub again when it's all over?
"Right now we don't know. Even if we want to open again, it will start in an economic hole. They talk about the fact that it will take a year for people to return to live in the area, it's not another round. To say for sure that we will be back? We don't know, but we really want to - as far as we're concerned, it's a victory picture. I believe that we will create some kind of act, but a business that is running forward? It's hard for me to say for sure that's what will happen."
Or Spitz also shared the pub's plight // From the Instagram page
The pub was opened ten years ago by two film students, good friends, who studied at Sapir College. They opened the place out of a real need of residents and students to go out for entertainment. "There was nowhere to drink beer in those days, there was nowhere to meet the guys, to meet new people," says Rakhipour. "They intervened among themselves – who has the courage to open a bar in Sderot, and in the end they said: 'Come on, let's go for it together.'"
And how do you get into the picture?
"I was a student at Sapir at the time and was a customer of the bar for quite a few years. After completing my degree and a year abroad, I returned. Towards the age of 30 it started tickling me to do something interesting. Life is short and you have to follow dreams. 'Sderot Pub' is a pub I really liked. I've always had a dream to be associated with something like this. By chance, an offer came from my partner Shahaf, who bought the pub. He suggested that I come in as a partner and also open a pizza next door, 'Artichoke Pizza.'"
The pub on normal days,
Today the pizza kitchen serves as the pub's kitchen. The special pizza can be combined with no less than 55 toppings, such as onion jam, garlic confit, goat cheese, and more.
Until Black Saturday, when an iron sword war broke out, on October 7, the place that currently needs assistance to continue to exist was bustling. "Every evening you could come here and enjoy a special atmosphere," says Rakhipour. "You can come once for an evening called 'Shoponi' - an evening of an open stage with all kinds of local and non-local ensembles that come up to play in all kinds of styles. Another evening for 'Barber Night' where people read their pieces. In another evening you can come and find retirees of the city singing and dancing. In normal times there is a lot of culture here and the place is bustling with life. In the middle of the week you could come and meet religious, secular, kibbutzniks. The only kosher pub from Ashkelon to Be'er Sheva - even from the center they would sometimes come as part of culinary tours."
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What are you actually asking the public in the video you posted?
"It's been a month since it all started. I'm in reserve duty and Seagull, my partner, with my children and wife. In the immediate term, there is merchandise that is in the warehouse and it will soon expire. We want to try to save her. We were offered fairs, but I'm in the reserves, a seagull with my family and the workers are scattered in a million places."
Since sharing the video, has anything moved in a positive direction?
"Our suppliers, who saw the inquiries, made offers of one kind or another, so we believe that in the end we will succeed in winning the merchandise and selling it. Shahaf shared with me that there are (since the post) a lot of inquiries, all of which he himself can't reach."
Are you afraid?
"This December, the contract ends and in the meantime there are payments running ahead, loans we took. There is a real fear that when everything is over, we will find ourselves with a debt of NIS 100,150 or NIS <>,<>. In the meantime, the funds are continuing, the electric company, suppliers we paid ahead. There is an understanding that a hole is going to form and it needs to be covered. On a day-to-day basis, it doesn't concern me, I'm very focused on my reserves, the right and pride to wear a uniform at this time and to be what's called at the front – to really guard the house. I live in Sderot so it's literally keep the house. That's what concerns me and I put aside all other matters."
For assistance: Shahaf: 052-9535318
Ziv: 055-6671839
You can also email: Sderotpub@gmail.com
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