Rutenberg is located in a historic building in the Northern Valley of Springs on the Israel-Jordan border, near the Old Gesher Courtyard. Its unique location offers a view of the long history of this historic crossroads, which has been significant for the exchange of knowledge throughout the development of humanity and culture.
The three bridges opposite the restaurant reflect a history of about two thousand years. A Roman bridge from the fifth century, alongside a Mamluk stopping point from the thirteenth century, the Ottoman railway bridge (the Hejaz railway) from the early twentieth century, and the British Mandate vehicle bridge from the 20th century.
The restaurant building was established as a quarantine for animal inspection by the British Mandate after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, when the border between Israel and Jordan was established as part of the implementation of the Sykes-Picot Agreements.
During the War of Independence, members of Kibbutz Gesher held off the advance of the Iraqi army, but the quarantine building was captured. The bullet marks are still visible today.
The preservation of the building began in 1999 in conjunction with the preservation of the Old Gesher Courtyard site and the treatment of the Mamluk khan beyond the fence. In collaboration with the Israel Preservation Society, the building was restored as a restaurant named after Pinchas Rutenberg, the father of the Israel Electric Company. Beyond the fence and a little to the north still stands the first hydroelectric power plant, which was established by Rutenberg in the 1920’s.
In 2001, the kibbutz operated the restaurant for several months. In 2006, the Rutenberg Restaurant was reopened under the hand of Chef Ran Sagie and became a focal point for both locals and travelers. In 2010, Lior Bachshian, Lior Sahar, and Shay Kaganovich took over the restaurant. Since 2012, we, Hilah and Yizhar Sahar, have taken over the restaurant.
Out of curiosity and a desire to deepen our knowledge, we began to explore the history, culture, crops, and local farmers. Since 2015, together with partners like Dr. Uri Mayer-Chizik, Ayala Noy Meir from Rish Lakish, cattle breeder Yochai Schneider, Michal and Avinoam Barkin from Barkanit dairy, and others, we have created the culinary language of Rutenberg.
In 2015, we planted the first seedlings in what is now a garden spanning about an acre which is growing and will reach about two and a half acres of crops in the coming years. Over the years, we learned to forage and have studied in depth the different layers of vegetation and foraging around us. We researched ancient preservation methods and created a local culinary language based on all of these.
In 2020, about five years ago, we realized that the best way to express everything we are learning is through a tasting menu that allows us to showcase the beauty, the growers, and the producers.
Friends such as Sheli and Netzer Luria (pottery), Gur Shoshani (carpentry), and Dani and Michal Calderon (glass) allow us to present the dishes in customized dishware and help us create the space of Rutenberg, which is a bit like stepping out of time.
Before Yizhar’s untimely passing in February 2025, Chef Chen Weiss stepped into his shoes, and together with the team we built around us and Lior Sahar who returned, we will continue to develop what Yizhar and I dreamed of.