Jerusalem’s Cafe Basimta decides to close Saturdays after pressure by Haredi protests

Cafe Basimta, a coffeehouse in central Jerusalem that has been targeted by ultra-Orthodox protesters for two months for being open on Shabbat, says it will now close on Saturdays.

The decision to close, beginning this Shabbat, “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,” it says in a statement.

Since early July, dozens of ultra-Orthodox demonstrators, many of them minors, have been protesting outside the cafe every Shabbat. In some cases, protesters have banged on the cafe’s windows, overturned tables, and even tried to force their way inside. Last month, a woman put glue in the cafe’s lock, causing a brief delay in its opening.

Counter-protests in favor of the cafe remaining open on Shabbat have also been held, with police on the scene to minimize confrontation between the groups.

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

“This is a difficult and painful decision that stems from a deep responsibility to our customers, to our faith, and to Israeli society as a whole,” says Jews for Jesus CEO Eli Birnbaum. “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. We seek to restore Cafe Basimta to what it was intended to be: a calm, pleasant, and open place for coffee, culture and conversation.”