The battle against Cofix: "A murky wave of fast food addiction is invading Bnei Brak""

November 6, 2015   

 The Battle for Coffee: Yesterday (Thursday), a branch of the 'Cofix' chain opened at the intersection of Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Shach streets, near 'Itzkowitz' and next to 'Shlweimel's Kiosk' - and the winds in Bnei Brak are gusty, and not because of the weather. Although hundreds of avrechim and yeshiva students have gathered at the doors of the new branch, which offers coffee and pastries at a discounted price, there are those who are not satisfied. The competitor across the street, for example, and perhaps also those who feel responsible for the spiritual atmosphere of the city of Torah and Hasidism.   It began with a sharp attack in the Hamodia newspaper, and last night pamphlets were also distributed on behalf of the 'Committee for Preserving the Character of the City', which were pasted on bulletin boards, against what they call "a new scourge that has recently appeared in the city that threatens the character of the city of Torah and Hasidism.". תחת הכותרת "כי הייתי זוללה" נכתב כי "גל עכור של חנויות לממכר מזון מהיר פושה בכל רחבי עירנו בני ברק כאשר בן לילה צצות ונפתחות חנויות חדשות בכל עבר ופינה, עד שאין כבר איזור בעיר שאין בו חנות מסוג זה". לדברי הוועד, "הנזק הרוחני שהתופעה גורמת לצביון עירנו הינו בלתי הפיך. כבר עתה, בעוד התופעה חדשה עדיין, מלאים חוצותינו לבושתנו ולחרפתנו במבוגרים וצעירים, המהלכים ברחובה של עיר כשהם ממלאים פיהם במאכל ומשקה, דבר אשר לא שיערו אבותינו ואבות אבותינו מיום יסוד העיר והלאה. ""This is a terrible epidemic that is sweeping the city by storm, threatening to destroy every good part of it, especially among the younger generation. The city, a city of beauty, known throughout the world for its gentle Jewish character and the pleasant manners of its residents, will soon become a city of devourers, according to the concepts of corrupt Western culture, mercifully spared," it further wrote. Are these ads innocent and indeed written out of spiritual concern? Not everyone is convinced of this. ""I'm not sure that whoever is behind the advertisements, on the street and in the press, is innocent," says one of the shoppers at the entrance to the new store. "A fight like this costs a lot of money. Ads in newspapers and on the streets. It could very well be that those who are financing the fight are competing store owners who are afraid of the new competition and are doing everything they can to continue making money at the expense of the residents.".