Tel Aviv Temporarily Closes Notorious 'Sex Video' Night Club

The Tel Aviv municipality has temporarily revoked the business license of Allenby 40, the nightclub where a young woman was filmed in October having sex on a bar with multiple men while others looked on.

Received on Monday, the notice informed the owners of the club that their licence had been temporarily revoked due to alleged violations in the club's hours of operation and for failure to comply with fire codes, Haaretz has learned. If the club doesn’t meet the city's conditions, or shuts down instead, the city can take steps against the club to enforce the law.

At a hearing last week, Ayelet Wasserman, the head of the city’s business licensing division, informed the club’s owners that all clubs on Allenby Street, where the club is located, must close by 2 A.M. according to municipal policies. The owners, Omer Efrat and Tal Peri, refused to comply and said they would continue to remain open until the early morning.

Videos of the incident involving the young woman at the club were aired in a report on Channel 10 in October. Club employees and patrons are seen standing by and not attempting to stop the public sex. Following broadcast of the report, the club’s owners shut down at their own initiative, after which the police issued an order shutting the business for 30 days. Last weekend, Allenby 40 quietly reopened, without publicity, and attracted sparse crowds.

Now, city officials are saying that they expect the club to abide by the conditions the city is demanding or shut down. If the owners fail to comply, the city has the option of going to court or issuing an administrative closure order.

Tel Aviv municipality said in a statement that it cannot resign itself to “a blatant violation of legal provisions,” and it was therefore obliged to rescind the club’s business license. The decision came after the recent publicity, but residents of the area around the club have complained for years that Allenby 40 constituted a nuisance and known for its late hours of operation. The owners boasted that Alleby 40 was the last club remaining open at night.