Cafe at Centre of Israel Culture Clash Agrees to Shut on Sabbath
The cafe said the move follows weeks of protests and counterprotests over Sabbath observance and its ties to Jews for Jesus.
- Jerusalem's Cafe Basimta announced Thursday it will close on Saturdays following weeks of protests by Ultra-Orthodox Jews, bowing to demands despite counter-protests from secular activists.
- Tensions escalated because the business is operated by a group of Jews who believe in Jesus, whose Christian proselytizing is widely unwelcome among Jews, sparking heated confrontations separated by police.
- "The cafe has become a focus of friction and danger in recent months," said Eli Birnbaum, the Israel head of the organization, citing responsibility to customers and faith.
- Religious observance remains a political faultline ahead of elections, with many Israelis resenting the military service exemption for religious students supported by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government.
- Ultra-Orthodox Jews constitute 14.3 percent of the population according to the Israel Democracy Institute, with higher birthrates than secular Israelis, shaping ongoing debates over Sabbath observance in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
19 Articles
19 Articles
'Result of haredi terror': Jerusalem's Basimta Cafe to close on Shabbat after weeks of protests
“Now we are asking to return Basimta Cafe to what it was intended to be: a calm, pleasant and open place for coffee, culture and dialogue,” said the CEO of Jews for Jesus, Eli Birnbaum.
Radio France Internationale
Cafe at centre of Israel culture clash agrees to shut on Sabbath
Jerusalem café besieged by Haredi protests announces Saturday closure
Cafe Basimta is operated by Jews for Jesus in Jerusalem's city center. The protests have reignited Jerusalem's long-running battles over public observance of Shabbat after years of relative calm
Jerusalem café bows to Haredi protests, will no longer open on Shabbat
JTA – Café Basimta, the Jerusalem coffee shop that became a flashpoint in the city’s long-running dispute over Shabbat observance, will stop opening on Saturdays beginning this weekend after two months of weekly ultra-Orthodox protests. The café said on Thursday that the decision was made, “after prolonged deliberation and with a heavy heart”, out of a desire to lower tensions and […]
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