Gaydamak wants to stop our freedom of choice. He is a totalitarian demagogue. Tiv Taam has given us the freedom of choice in terms of what we eat. Start writing letters protesting this travesty!

Now, where's he gonna buy his shrimp? Oh yeah.. he'll fly them in on his private plane! Screw Gaydamak!

This is sick. Keep this power-hungry monster our of our politics. It's bad enough as it is without this wannabe dictator, who probably doesn't know anything about kashrut, meddling with our lives. He's dangerous. He's anti-democratic.

This Soviet-style dictator can buy his way to power. He will be able to control what we eat. Soon he will be able to control other aspects of our lives. We, the free people of Israel, will make his little adventure to dictate to us fail.

Gaydamak may think it's a good move in the long term when people have forgotten that they used to be able to get products that are difficult to find in Israel. Tiv Tam sells products that current customers want. This clientele will go to other sources to find these when Tiv Tam is just another supermarket that has no special market niche. Currently, Tiv Tam has other market advantages, like variety of specialty ethnic and foreign products and a spacious, clean and appealing atmosphere. Why did Tribitch and Berger sell out their landmark business? Why, like Macdonalds, can't Gaydamak make those markets he opens in areas that demand Kashrut, Kosher, and leave those in areas that cater to a discriminating secular and Russian clientele alone. Why didn't he just take his billions and open his own high-end supermarket chain? All in the name of Politics?

no more european cheese in Israel...

Tiv Tam is one of the only non-kosher grocery stores and sells products from around the world that you can't get in other places. Israel is a Jewish State - not an Ultra-Orthodox state - please stop trying to control what people do. Making a store kosher won't make people eat kosher and closing it on shabbat won't make people shomer shabbos... If you want to make it open to people who keep kosher, just make some branches kosher, not the whole chain. Gaydamak is just trying to buy popularity and votes

The other non-kosher chain will benefit in the meantime. Then a new non-kosher chain will spring up in place of Tiv Tam. That is the law of supply and demand in a democracy. However, he will fool the fools and they will be silly enough to vote for him.

Congratulations, Mr. Gaydamak. You are doing wonderful things. Keep up the good work. You know what it means to be a Jew.

He will lose a fortune of business, and besides that many people cannot shop on Friday. Tiv Taam Rishon Le Zion does most of its business on a Saturday. Shopping is hard enough in this country due to hours of work, why make it harder for the residents.

I thought that Gaydamak was a smart business man, surely he knows the reason behind Tiv-Tams success is the fact that it sells non-kosher items and is open all the time. By changing the status of the shop, it makes it just another Supermarket. Very strange move.

Gaydamak is a demagog, he is only interested in running for mayor and not in kosher food. I think that if he reaches power, we will have more serious problems than kosher meat or a supermarket open on shabbat.

He only knows money and power. Because you are yourself anti-democratic, because you do not believe in freedom of choice, but groupthink, you have fallen into Gaydamak's trap.

or are you A GIANT HYPOCRITE AND ONLY SHOUT TOTALITARIANISM WHEN IT SUITS YOU?! F-off AND TOUGH SH*T

BOO F'in hoo you are the ones shouting rule of law. this is fair, so stop whining.

JUST LIKE SCHITA IS OUTLAWED IN PARTS OF EUROPE, NON-KOSHER FOOD SHOULD BE OUTLAWED FROM ISRAEL. ALL YOU SECULARS YOU CAN BUY ALL THE TRAIF FOOD YOU WANT BY THE ARABS, HMMMM CAMEL DELISH

This is an issue of how people use and abuse their wealth and power . Gaydamak has always shown strong totalitarian tendencies. His evacuations of people from beseiged areas during last year's war and from Sderot are bids to exert control while manipulating those less fortunate. His sudden buy-up of the controling shares of Tiv Taam are far less about upholding Jewish tradition (of which he probably knows very little) but more about wielding power. BTW - I am a dedicated democrat and certainly no hypocrite.

The only reason that chain exists is to sell treif to trief. I would think it a better use of money to buy a market that has a chance with people who care about Shabbat and keeping kosher.

Don't complain, don't write letters, don't cry totalitarian, be smart about this. Get some investors together and open a non-kosher supermarket. Gaydamak can do what he wants with his billions, anyone opening a new "Tiv-Taam" will soon have their own billions after this publicity stunt.

disgusting.he wants to become a mayor of jerusalem and thus buys religious vote. he will ruin the whole commercial sector, and eventually destroy tiv-taam as such, as it'll become another chain like supersal.

He's getting richer! He's a business man, you sad child. If Mika had gone kosher(probably soon will...) she wouldnt have had to close either. That's the way the (badatz) cookie crumbles. MeTum Taam =That filthy place that sold old dirty smelly food re- spiced, for shipudim, eeeugh! A goodeh macher is this guy, and he smiles, and doesn't look self centred and pompous.

bacon :(

You live in a Jewish state! Enjoy it and fact that that you have an army trying to protect you and this nation's way of life. I made Aliyah to have a more 'kosher' life. If you want bacon on a Saturday go to Germany or Poland. I am sure they will greet you with open arms ;-)

gaydamak is the man!!!!!!! i can't really see how this could be a good business deal, because the store gets all it's money from selling treif food and as soon as it stops doing that it'll probably loose it's appeal, but anyway- gaydamak is the man! yes, he cares about politics, but he also cares about his jewish heitage. and to #3, you really don't know anything because gaydamak has been helping religious causes for a loooong time, he gives millions to chabad. yay!!!

and bullshit walks. if this guy wants to make Kosher supermarkets, then let him. why are Israelis so in love with pork anyways. it's crap and it makes you feel like shit after eating it. same with bottom feeding shellfish...which has every bacteria known (and unknown) to man. there's a valid, scientific reason G-d told us not to eat some things...don't you think? holy shit...did he just mention G-d and science in the same sentence??? lol ;)