Jerusalem book lovers’ cafe marks 30 years with Etgar Keret, others
Tmol Shilshom will mark its anniversary after nearly closing its doors during the pandemic
Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
Tmol Shilshom, the legendary coffee house for book lovers, located in Jerusalem’s Nachalat Shiva neighborhood, is marking 30 years with a series of events in June.
Writers Etgar Keret and Eshkol Nevo, musician Rona Keinan, The Angelcy band and others will perform at the cafe throughout the month.
It’s a moment of celebration for the cafe that was founded by David Ehrlich, a Jerusalem fixture who died of a sudden heart attack in 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic.
Ehrlich opened the book-lined space in 1994, in a narrow 19th century building, naming it for a book by Jerusalem’s own Nobel Prize-winning writer S.Y. Agnon.
Yehuda Amichai read his poems at Tmol Shilshom’s opening event, later followed by a roster of renowned writers such as Amos Oz, Aharon Appelfeld, David Grossman and Etgar Keret.
When Ehrlich died, the cafe staff and his co-owner, Dan Goldberg, crowdfunded NIS 250,000 (some $70,000) in order to reopen the establishment, which had been struggling financially during the pandemic.
Goldberg was able to keep the cafe open, and is now marking the establishment’s 30th anniversary, which will include appearances by Rona Keinan on June 20, Eshkol Nevo on June 24, Etgar Keret on June 26, and a host of others.
Some events are free while others will cost NIS 40 to NIS 60 (around $10 to $16). More details are available on the Tmol Shilshom website.
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