Jerusalem Cafe Closes on Shabbat Amid Ultra-Orthodox Protests, Activists Open Coffee Cart

Dozens of secular Jerusalem residents gathered at a coffee cart operated by the "Yerushalmim" movement on Saturday, in the same location as "Cafe Basemta," which recently ceased its Saturday operations. The cafe had faced months of protests and harassment from ultra-Orthodox demonstrators due to its weekend opening. The coffee cart was established by "Yerushalmim" following the cafe's decision to close on Saturdays, protesting under the slogan, "We will not let extremists close Jerusalem."

City inspectors arrived at the scene and ordered the coffee cart to be removed, which it was. The "Yerushalmim" movement is continuing to raise funds through a crowdfunding campaign to support the coffee cart's operations. Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem and chairman of the "Yerushalmim" movement, Adir Schwartz, stated, "Today we proved that violence may have succeeded in closing the door of Cafe Basemta, but it did not succeed in closing Jerusalem. The liberal public does not intend to disappear and does not intend to give up its public space. We will continue to be here and fight for a free and liberal Jerusalem, where everyone can choose how they want to live their Shabbat. We will not let extremists impose religious wars on us that Jerusalemites are tired of."

"Cafe Basemta" had been operating on weekends to serve the city's secular population. However, the protests escalated to violence and vandalism, prompting the management to end its Saturday operations to de-escalate the situation and restore peace to the area. The cafe is managed by the organization "Jews for Jesus."