Recently we had a Non Smoking Law finally passed in the Knesset. It basically made it illegal for restaurants to permit smoking in non designated areas, made it illegal to keep ashtrays in Non Smoking areas (obviously) and if customers were not complying then calling in inspectors from the city who would fine renegade smokers. Okay, so this is where our social, legal and health awareness ends…
Yesterday, a member of the Clean Air Society (yes we have those, they are endangered species, but we have them) went out to a known pub in Tel Aviv with his girlfriend and sat in a non smoking area. He noticed there was a table of 6 puffing away and complained to the shift supervisor. The shift manager asked one of the smokers to stop, he did, but the rest kept smoking. When the Clean Air customer asked for the reason there were ashtrays in a non smoking area, the response was that they were used for table garbage. Our Clean Air enthusiast didn’t give in and began taking pictures of the illegal smoking going on when he was bounced out of the place.
I remember working for a while in San Francisco and looking for a smokers bar one evening. I had to pay the cabby extra to take me to one of only three “underground” smoking bars in the city. People there looked around as they puffed away on their smokes, looking anxious about getting caught. Non Smokers are a protected majority and try finding a restaurant or bar that allows Smokers.
But we are above all that Non Smoking Law nonsense, if you want to smoke in Tel Aviv go right ahead. Yes, we have a Non Smoking Law but well we can’t see it through that smoky haze…
August 21, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Mad Dog in the Fog in the Lower Haight…Definite underground smoking venue. I think they probably still light up there!
October 29, 2008 at 8:25 pm
That’s stupid. It’s one thing to smoke….it’s horrible to subject other people to it in an enclosed space such as a night club! And it’s disgusting, you and your clothes smell like ash tray for day. Try smoking outside.