‘Open for Shabbat’ cafe project gets shut down

Plans to bring together secular and religious Jerusalemites at Open For Shabbat, a new, pluralistic effort that was to be held on Friday night, November 25, at a Nahlaot neighborhood hummus bar, were scrapped by the Jerusalem rabbinate.

The owners of the restaurant, Hahummus shel Tehina, told program organizers that they’d been approached on Thursday afternoon by officials from the rabbinate, who told them that if they opened on Friday evening their kosher certification would be revoked.

The project, which aims to offer additional cultural outlets on Shabbat by opening neighborhood cafes and restaurants as areas to meet and talk — but not for making or purchasing food and drinks — had been presented to the rabbinate, said organizer Matan Hayat.

“We had explained the purpose of the project to them,” said Hayat, “and our intention to carefully observe all laws of Shabbat by closing the kitchen of each cafe, using hot plates and urns to keep food and drinks warm and to be sure that there wouldn’t be any violation of the Sabbath in a public space.”

The pastries, wine and board games were all ready, said Hayat, along with handouts for the lecture that was to be given.

The logo of ‘Open For Shabbat,’ a new, pluralistic initiative in Jerusalem, now starting December 9, 2016 (Courtesy ‘Open For Shabbat’)

Instead, Hayat and other organizers met with Rabbi Aryeh Stern, Jerusalem’s chief rabbi, and decided to postpone the first Open For Shabbat event until Friday, December 9.

The organizers have made it clear that they are not activists but community organizers who want to work within the existing framework of Jerusalem’s complicated Sabbath laws.

“This is in order to clarify that it’s not our intention to come out against the rabbinate, but rather to involve them with us in the process that will allow the opening of businesses on Shabbat, not for commercial purposes but to utilize ideal spaces for Jerusalemites who want to be part of this,” said Hayat.