Ultra-Orthodox protesters harassed customers at a newly opened Jerusalem cafe for operating on Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, on Saturday.

Dozens of Haredi demonstrators, many appearing to be minors, gathered outside Cafe Basimta on four separate occasions throughout the day, cafe staff told media outlets. Footage circulating online showed some banging on the window and yelling at customers.

The cafe’s owner, Yoel Ben David, told Hebrew media outlets that some protesters overturned tables.

“I tried talking to them. There aren’t speakers outside, and the business operates inside the alley. We aren’t disturbing anyone,” Ben David told Channel 12 news.

“I’m from Jerusalem, and I’m tired of not having enough places open on Shabbat. That’s why we decided to open,” he told the Haaretz daily. “I feel like it will happen again next week, and we will prepare for that.”

Secular customers from around the city and local residents stopped by to drive the demonstrators away and support the cafe, which is located in the city center, where few other places open on Shabbat.

יושב עכשיו (שבת בבוקר) בקפה הירושלמי החדש "בסמטה". פתאום דפיקות על החלונות. בחוץ המון חרדי שבא לאיים עלינו. Advertisement if(typeof rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner != "function" || !rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner("#Article_Incontent1")){ window.tude = window.tude || { cmd: [] }; tude.cmd.push(function() { if(navigator.userAgent.indexOf("rgbmedia-app") > -1){ tude.setDeviceType("mobile"); } tude.refreshAdsViaDivMappings([ { divId: 'Article_Incontent1', baseDivId: 'Article_Incontent1', } ]); }); } רגע שאהבתי: כשהחילונים גם התחילו לצעוק בחזרה "שבעס". וזה נכון: להם יש שבת דתית, לנו יש שבת חופשית. כשנסגור להם את הברז, הם יבינו. בינתיים, תבואו לחזק את "בסמטה". pic.twitter.com/3Ilf8jqpFb — Ariel David אריאל דוד (@afdirohak) July 4, 2026

יושב עכשיו (שבת בבוקר) בקפה הירושלמי החדש........

© The Times of Israel