Dozens demonstrate outside Cafe BaSimta for a second consecutive Saturday, while hundreds of customers — including observant Jews who walked across the city — came to support the business and call for 'a Jerusalem for everyone'Dozens of ultra-Orthodox protesters gathered outside a Jerusalem café on Saturday for a second consecutive week to demonstrate against the business operating on the Sabbath, while hundreds of customers arrived to show support for the establishment.Police declared the demonstration unlawful and used force to disperse the protesters, who relocated to a nearby side street and continued chanting "Shabbes," using the Yiddish pronunciation of the Sabbath.Dozens of ultra-Orthodox protesters gather outside a Jerusalem café on Saturday to demonstrate against the business operating on the Sabbath (Video: Gil Yochanan)At the request of the Jerusalem municipality, Cafe BaSimta moved its outdoor tables indoors, according to manager Yoel Ben David, who said the decision was intended to reduce tensions but would not change the business's plans to remain open on Saturdays."We're trying to keep a lower profile," Ben David said. "We don't want to be in the middle of this conflict. We want to operate as a quiet neighborhood café and avoid disturbances. That way, no one will overturn our tables like they did last week."Ben David said the café plans to restore its outdoor seating in the future, adding that some religious customers travel from more distant neighborhoods to support the business. He said he had prepared a pitcher of iced coffee for their arrival.He dismissed concerns that public support would fade in the coming weeks. "People who come here discover it's also a really nice café, and the coffee is excellent," he said. "I'm also from Jerusalem, and I hate not having anywhere to go on Saturdays. We're not opening to provoke anyone. We're opening to contribute to the community."GalleryPolice disperse protesters outside Cafe BaSimta (Photo: Gil Yochanan)(Photo: Idan Bloemhof)Among those supporting the café was Bar, a Jerusalem resident, who said secular residents also deserve places to spend their Saturdays. "I live in the Gilo neighborhood, and nothing there is open on Saturdays," she said. "So we drive five kilometers here, to the city center. My partner and I are planning to leave Jerusalem because of this. If people don't come and show support, more and more of the public space will simply be taken away from us. If we don't stand here in the sun and buy coffee, we'll lose."A religious supporter who walked nearly 30 minutes to reach the café said he wanted "a Jerusalem for everyone."Another supporter, Zehavit, who lives in downtown Jerusalem, said she felt "suffocated" by the lack of businesses open on Saturdays and criticized the protests targeting the café. "What bothers them so much?" she said. "Live and let live. We're here too."She said she feared the demonstrations could ultimately force the café to close, citing Jerusalem's changing demographics and growing ultra-Orthodox population. As a mother of three, she said she simply wanted to be able to have coffee near Sacher Park, one of the city's largest public parks, on Saturdays.(Photo: Gil Yochanan)(Photo: Gil Yochanan)Adir Schwartz, deputy mayor of Jerusalem and chairman of the local Hitorerut political movement, joined supporters at the café with party activists. He accused "extremists" of attempting to intimidate the owners and customers because the business chose to open on Saturdays."Hitorerut activists stood alongside the business owners throughout the Sabbath and made it clear that we will not allow a small extremist group to dictate how Jerusalem residents should live," Schwartz said. "We will continue to support local businesses and preserve a free Jerusalem that belongs to everyone."The small café opened only a few weeks ago and has quickly become a flashpoint in the longstanding dispute over the character of Jerusalem, where tensions frequently arise over businesses operating on the Sabbath.Last week, dozens of protesters arrived in waves over several hours, demonstrating against the café despite its location in the city center rather than an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood. Protesters wrapped themselves in prayer shawls and shouted slogans, including insults directed at the business.(Photo: Idan Bloemhof)Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said last week that the city was home to diverse communities and called for mutual respect and restraint."Violence of any kind is unacceptable," Lion said. "It has no place in Jerusalem, and we will not accept it. We will continue to preserve the status quo while upholding the law, maintaining public order and protecting the delicate fabric that enables all Jerusalem residents to live together with respect and security."