Second Tel Aviv branch of Cafe Otef creates employment for southern evacuees
Business includes shop selling Dvir Chocolates, the line of confections created by Re’im resident Dvir Karp, killed on October 7
Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
A second branch of the Cafe Otef coffeehouses, created as a source of income, employment and succor for the displaced members of southern communities, opened this week in Tel Aviv’s Florentin neighborhood.
Otef is a reference to Otef Aza, the Gaza Envelope region that was brutally attacked by Hamas terrorists. Seven of the hardest-hit communities are planned to each have their own cafe run by residents of those communities, where they can gather, work and feel supported by local residents who pop in for a bite.
The latest Cafe Otef – Re’im is named after a southern kibbutz hit by the Hamas attack. Most members of the kibbutz have been living in Florentin since the October 7 Hamas attack.
The Re’im branch includes a shop selling Dvir Chocolates, the line of confections created by Dvir Karp. He was a kibbutz Re’im member who was killed, along with his partner, Stav Kimchi, in front of their children at their home on October 7.
Seven of the 450 members of Re’im were killed on October 7, including Karp and Kimchi.
Reut Karp, Dvir Karp’s ex-wife and the mother of their three children, is also a Re’im resident who was away on the weekend of October 7. She is the owner of the branch.
Dvir Karp was known as the “chocolate man” of the Gaza envelope region, and co-owned a cafe with Reut Karp and Uri Steiner. The shop was located next to Kibbutz Magen and specialized in Karp’s chocolates since 1996.
The new cafe will include a counter selling pralines and chocolates based on Dvir Karp’s original recipes.
“We want to create a meeting place for our community that will remind us of home and the loved ones we lost,” said Reut Karp. “Our lives will never be the same again, but the things that strengthen us and help us get through each day are our community and the memories that remain. The coffee will echo the memory of Dvir, who loved and succeeded in making people happy through his great chocolate, and will restore a little of a sweet taste to life even to our children who went through the worst.”
The cafe, which has a performance space on a lower floor that will host shows by residents from the south, is located in buildings housing Kibbutz Re’im residents.
Like the first Cafe Otef branch, the new cafe will be managed and staffed by evacuated residents.
The Cafe Otef – Re’im menu has similar offerings as the first branch, a cafe in the Sarona complex that’s run by members of the Netiv Ha’asara community, with a menu of coffee and sandwiches created by Chef Ruti Russo. There’s also a gift store in the cafe that sells items made in the southern region, such as ceramics, jams, wine, cheeses from Kibbutz Be’eri, T-shirts and other items.
Both Cafe Otef branches received funding from Bank Hapoalim, HSBC, the Foody website, and companies Checkpoint, Plasson and Tempo.
Reut Karp wants to eventually open a chocolate factory in the south, but for now, she said she wants to convey the flavors and atmosphere of Re’im to other kibbutz members and customers.
“Come be a part of this great thing, which is a symbol of the revival of all Otef settlements and Kibbutz Re’im in particular,” said Karp, who was born and raised in Re’im, and then raising her own children on the kibbutz.
Cafe Otef – Re’im, 54 Wolfson, Tel Aviv, open 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Sunday to Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, and 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturday.
