The battle for Shabbat in Jerusalem: sixth weekend of violent clashes at "Cafe Ba-Smita"
Dozens of ultra-Orthodox protesters are attempting to forcibly close the only cafe on Agrippas Street, while hundreds of residents have arrived to protect the liberal stronghold. Police have reinforced their presence, separating the two sides, though eggs continue to be thrown at patrons. In a capital where weekend leisure options are scarce, this struggle has become an existential battle for the rights of the secular public.
The quiet sounds of spoons stirring in coffee cups down Jerusalem's Agrippas Street were quickly swallowed by roars, banging on windows, and attempts to break in. This morning, Saturday, clashes were recorded again, for the sixth consecutive time, around "Cafe Ba-Smita" operating in the heart of the city.
Ultra-Orthodox protesters arrived at the site again with the goal of forcing its closure, while facing them were hundreds of secular residents and liberal activists who formed a human wall at the entrance. Large police forces deployed in the alley managed to prevent the ultra-Orthodox from entering the cafe complex. Just last Thursday, police arrested a teenager who threw feces at the cafe.
Today, an impressive turnout of liberal activists and residents was recorded at the site, arriving in higher numbers than usual to support the cafe. On the other hand, many ultra-Orthodox protesters also gathered, but unlike previous weeks, they remained outside the cafe's plaza. Extensive police forces, having learned lessons from previous events, were deployed in the area in advance, set up barriers, and hermetically separated the camps, thereby completely preventing protesters from entering the business premises.
Following the hermetic separation, all clashes took place outside the plaza and down the street. The ultra-Orthodox protesters accompanied the protest with shouts of "Shabbat" and even threw eggs at the complex, but were repelled by the police. As of this hour, thanks to the blocking of access to the plaza itself, the entry of protesters into the cafe was prevented, and relative quiet is maintained at the site.
The events on Agrippas Street are not a passive protest for the sanctity of the Sabbath, but an aggressive show of force by fanatical groups seeking to establish facts on the ground. Week after week, the cafe's patrons, law-abiding citizens who simply want to enjoy their day of rest, are required to endure curses, threats, and verbal bullying. The protesters are not satisfied with maintaining a religious lifestyle in their neighborhoods, but demand full ownership of the entire public space in Jerusalem. The attempt to intimidate a private business owner and his customers makes it clear that from the protesters' perspective, there is no room for any lifestyle that is not similar to their own.
The widespread anger that brought hundreds of residents out of their homes to protect the cafe stems not only from support for the specific business, but from the unbearable reality of Jerusalem on weekends. This is a huge metropolitan city where the supply of entertainment, culture, and leisure venues open on Saturday is limited to almost zero. A secular resident who wants to drink coffee, eat breakfast, or simply sit in an open public space on Saturday is required to search for the few remaining enclaves. When the supply is so meager, every new business that opens immediately becomes a target for neutralization by extremist elements.
The campaign for "Cafe Ba-Smita" is taking place against the backdrop of the dramatic demographic and political changes that Jerusalem has been undergoing in recent years. The secular and liberal public in the city, which is dwindling in numbers, feels pushed into a corner. Many of the residents who came to support the business over the weekend explained that the struggle is not over a cup of espresso, but over the very existence of a secular presence in the capital. The feeling is that giving in in one alley on Agrippas Street will very quickly lead to the closure of the little that still remains open in other parts of the city.
