Rothenberg to Close as Hila Sahar Ends an Era After Her Partner’s Death

Hila Sahar says she will close Rothenberg, the landmark restaurant she opened with her late partner Yizhar in 2012, at the end of the year. The restaurant stands on the Israel-Jordan border at Gesher HaYeshana and became known for turning local produce from the harsh Jordan Valley area into highly creative, expensive tasting menus that drew diners from far away.

Rothenberg opened in 2001, but Sahar and Yizhar transformed it into a destination restaurant by planting a kitchen garden and cooking with nearby ingredients, including vegetables, fruit, meat and fish. Sahar says the place was their “life project,” and their daughters saw it as “the little sister that stole all the attention.”

Yizhar died in February last year at age 48 after fighting an aggressive cancer. Chef Chen Weiss, chosen by the couple as his successor while he was alive, took over the kitchen, and Tali Tauber became responsible for the wine, which was always a central part of the restaurant. Sahar says she decided to close because being there keeps her stuck in mourning: “I want to finish the shiva,” she said, explaining that visitors keep coming to express condolences, keeping her in a constant state of bereavement.

Sahar said she and Yizhar had talked about what would happen after his death and that she knew she would eventually close Rothenberg. If all goes as planned, she will later open a different restaurant in nearby Afiqim, where she now lives with her daughters. The new place will not be called Rothenberg, will not serve the same food, and will be more accessible, with a stronger focus on wine, simpler dishes, no tasting-menu format, and no need to book weeks in advance.