Ramat Gan cafe set on fire for third time after owner opens on Shabbat

A Ramat Gan cafe was set on fire for the third time overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, with footage showing masked suspects arriving at the scene, igniting the business, and fleeing. Police have opened an investigation into the suspected arson, with the apparent motive being the cafe’s decision to remain open on Saturdays.

The fire at Bandita Cafe was reported at 2:43 a.m. The owner, identified only as Shahaf, spent the morning at the police station filing another complaint after what she described as repeated attacks on her business. Shahaf told Walla that she later understood comments directed at her before the arsons should have been treated as warnings. She said passersby had told her that businesses that open on Shabbat “simply burn,” but she did not initially attach importance to the remarks.

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These were not threats, they were promises.

"These were not threats, they were promises," she said. Despite the attacks, she stated she would not change the cafe’s operating policy and would continue opening on Saturdays. Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama-Hacohen condemned the arson, calling it a hate crime aimed at the character of Ramat Gan. He vowed the municipality would support the cafe financially and publicly, ordering products from the business for weekend events and working to expand weekend operating venues.

"Ramat Gan is free, and Ramat Gan is liberal," he said. The incident follows a previous arson at the same cafe in May, after the owner reportedly received threats over the cafe’s Saturday opening. The latest attack occurs amid a broader public debate in Israel over Shabbat commerce, transportation, and municipalities' authority to determine local policy. No suspects had been located at the time of publication, and the police investigation was ongoing.

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Ramat Gan is free, and Ramat Gan is liberal.