Suspect arrested for allegedly vandalizing Basimta cafe during protests against its Shabbat opening

Jerusalem Post/Israel News/Crime in IsraelAccording to the police, the suspect is thought to have vandalized the cafe with graffiti, thrown garbage at it, and damaged the cafe's lock.Follow us on GoogleUltra-Orthodox protesters demonstrate against a cafe operating on Shabbat and clash with Israeli police, while secular protesters hold a counter-demonstration in support of the cafe in central Jerusalem, August 8, 2026. (photo credit: OREN BEN HAKOON/FLASH90)ByTZVI JASPERAUGUST 18, 2026 13:04A 75-year-old suspect was arrested for allegedly vandalizing the Basimta cafe in Jerusalem, following weeks of haredi (ultra-Orthodox) protests against it for being open on Shabbat, Israel Police announced on Tuesday.According to the police, the suspect is thought to have vandalized the cafe with graffiti, thrown garbage at it, and damaged the cafe's lock.The suspect had restrictive conditions on her extension by the court, which also barred her from approaching or entering Basimta.Ultra-Orthodox protesters demonstrate against a cafe operating on Shabbat and clash with Israeli police, while secular protesters hold a counter-demonstration in support of the cafe in central Jerusalem, August 8, 2026. (credit: OREN BEN HAKOON/FLASH90)Haredim protest cafe for being open on ShabbatThe cafe has seen protests against it being open on Shabbat every weekend for seven consecutive weeks, alongside counterprotests in support of the business owners.On July 4, the first Saturday it drew protesters, dozens of haredi demonstrators, many of them reportedly minors, descended on the cafe in four separate waves, surrounding it, banging on its windows and overturning tables, according to cafe staff and footage circulated online.Last month, it was revealed that the cafe is an official project of Jews for Jesus, a flagship organization of the diffuse movement of Messianic Judaism, which believes in the divinity of Jesus while claiming to practice Judaism, an overlap that no denomination across the Jewish world accepts as compatible.Theia Chatelle contributed to this report.Follow us on Google