Jerusalem cafe targeted by Haredi protesters says it will no longer open on Shabbat

A Jerusalem cafe targeted by Haredi protesters for opening on Shabbat said Thursday that it would henceforth be closed on weekends, with the owners saying that causing controversy was contrary to their faith as Messianic Jews.

Cafe Basimta said the decision to close, starting this weekend, “was made after prolonged deliberation and with a heavy heart, out of a desire to prevent and calm the anger and restore peace to the cafe.”

The cafe is an official project of Jews for Jesus, a Christian missionary organization that seeks to convert Jews to believe in Jesus.

Jews for Jesus CEO Eli Birnbaum said in a statement that choosing to close on Shabbat was “a difficult and painful decision that stems from a deep responsibility to our customers, to our faith, and to Israeli society as a whole.

“The cafe has become a focus of friction and danger in recent months, a reality that contradicts our identity as Jews who believe in Jesus and our belief in loving others, in respect, and in bringing people closer together,” said Birnbaum. “We seek to restore Cafe Basimta to what it was intended to be: a calm, pleasant, and open place for coffee, culture and conversation.”

Adir Schwartz, the head of Jerusalem’s liberal municipal party Hitorerut, said the cafe’s decision to close set “a dangerous precedent where extremists’ terrorism won, despite the massive Zionist support that the place received from us and from the broader public across the country.”

Schwartz added that Hitorerut was “looking into how to operate a cafe there on Shabbat — because we can’t, simply can’t, let violence win.” It was not immediately clear whether he meant opening a different cafe nearby.

Meanwhile, the Haredi anti-missionary organization Yad Le’Achim vowed in a statement to keep picketing the cafe until it closes entirely.

“The struggle isn’t over,” the Haredi group said. “We won’t rest until… the missionary taint is removed from the holy city of Jerusalem.”

Haredi demonstrators had protested outside the cafe almost every Saturday since it opened in June on Agripas Street, a main drag where no other cafes open on Shabbat.

In some cases, protesters banged on the cafe’s windows and overturned tables. Last month, a woman put glue in the cafe’s lock, causing a brief delay in its opening.

Counterprotesters have rallied in favor of the cafe staying open on Shabbat, with police on the scene to minimize friction between the two sides.

But the cafe’s religious affiliation caused unease among some secular Israelis who had rallied in support of it. The Hapoel Jerusalem soccer team withdrew an offer of free advertising for the business after learning of its ties to Jews for Jesus, while maintaining support for the cafe’s freedom to operate.

Businesses across the country are occasionally vandalized by Haredi extremists opposed to work on the Jewish day of rest.

Jerusalem has become increasingly Orthodox over the years, driving out large segments of its secular population.

The clashes at the cafe came amid broader tensions between secular and religious communities on the issue of Haredi military service, with violent Haredi protests against conscription often held in Jerusalem.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.