Allenby Cafe on 6 King George Street, the 1950s,
Once upon a time in Jerusalem.
Allenby Cafe was a well-known Jerusalem institution that operated for 45 years.
The cafe opened in 1935 and later moved to King George Street.
The cafe was founded by Shlomo and Shifra Rosner.
Rosner, a business genius, brought the best innovations from abroad to the country, such as pizza, American ice cream, donuts, and sufganiyot. Their partner in the cafe was the father of journalist Amnon Dankner, who ensured excellent customer service.
Allenby Cafe was a central landmark in the city. When Jerusalemites of that time said “going downtown,” they meant going to Allenby Cafe.
The place was the city’s meeting point before or after a movie screening, after activities in the youth movements for the values-driven youth of the time. The young men of that era, with their gelled hair, would sit on the railings and whistle at the modest Jerusalemite girls passing by.
Anyone in the city who thought they were somebody found themselves waiting for the elderly punctual saleswomen, dressed in white aprons, in the endless line for American ice cream with chocolate syrup, which was a revolutionary innovation in the city.
There was also Napoleon cake filled with cream, potato pancakes, and oily chips in paper bags, washed down with a cup of soda with sweet syrup, in days when vegan food and sprouted lentils were science fiction.
In the back room was a chess club where Knesset members would sit, having walked from the nearby Beit Froumine, where the old Knesset was located.
These were the golden days of the secular elite in the city when everyone knew everyone and met in the long line to get a breath of foreign air and sit on the railings.
In 1979, the cafe closed, and with it, the memories of the famous Jerusalem institution faded, like American ice cream melting in the heat of July and August.
And all we have left are the memories.
Shabbat Shalom to the near and far from Jerusalem ❤
May all the hostages return home safely, healthy in body and soul 🎗 along with all IDF soldiers,
and may peace come to Israel.
Photo – Yad Ben Zvi
