Jerusalem’s Basimta Cafe may close on Shabbat after weeks of haredi protests

Basimta Cafe in Jerusalem may stop opening on Saturdays as its management weighs the psychological toll of more than six weeks of weekly haredi protests. N12 News reported that some managers want to restore a sense of normalcy to the establishment.

The demonstrations have repeatedly escalated. On August 22, haredi protesters erected barricades around the cafe in an effort to prevent customers from entering, according to security footage. In another incident, police arrested a 75-year-old man accused of spray-painting the cafe, damaging its lock and throwing garbage at the premises.

The first protest, on July 4, turned violent when ultra-Orthodox activists overturned tables and banged on the cafe’s windows. The dispute has since drawn political figures, including Democrats Party chairman Yair Golan, party chief executive Omer Lubaton Granot and Knesset member Meirav Cohen. Secular Israelis have organized counter-demonstrations, and Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman joined supporters of the cafe earlier in August.

The campaign began after the cafe was revealed to be an official project of Jews for Jesus. The group is a prominent organization in the broader Messianic Jewish movement. It recognizes what it believes is Jesus’ divinity while claiming to practice Judaism, a position viewed as controversial by mainstream Judaism.