A Jerusalem cafe that remains open on Shabbat faced an eighth consecutive week of demonstrations Saturday, as Haredi protesters continued their campaign against the business.
JERUSALEM - Haredi protesters reportedly erected barricades outside Cafe Basimta on Saturday morning, August 22, as demonstrations over the cafe's decision to operate on Shabbat continued.
Security footage reported by Israeli media showed the barricades outside the business. The demonstration marked the eighth consecutive week of protests targeting the cafe's Saturday operations.
The dispute began in early July, when Haredi demonstrators gathered outside the newly opened cafe. Subsequent demonstrations have drawn counterprotesters supporting the cafe's right to remain open, while Israeli police have been deployed during several confrontations.
Supporters of the protests argue that operating the cafe on Shabbat violates the religious character and longstanding Shabbat practices of the surrounding area. Cafe supporters argue that food-service businesses are legally permitted to operate and that owners should be free to decide whether to open.
The controversy also carries another religious dimension. Cafe Basimta is operated as a project of Jews for Jesus, an organization associated with the Messianic Jewish movement and belief in Yeshua, or Jesus, as the Messiah.
That connection has generated separate opposition from some Jewish religious organizations. However, reporting on the demonstrations indicates that the protests originally centered on the cafe's decision to remain open on Shabbat.
Earlier in the week, Israeli police also arrested a 75-year-old suspect accused of vandalizing the cafe, including spray-painting graffiti, throwing garbage and damaging its lock.
The continuing dispute has made the small Jerusalem cafe
a focal point in a broader debate over Shabbat observance,
religious identity and the character of public life in
Jerusalem.
