JERUSALEM: For over two years, Alma Ronen has been fighting almost nonstop in the Israeli military. She would prefer to have coffee outside on Saturday instead of wearing her uniform, and she is upset that her more devout countrymen disagree.
Since June, ultra-Orthodox demonstrators have come on a cafe in central Jerusalem that is dangerously close to their neighbourhood every week. They are upset that the shop opened on Shabbat, the day of rest when devout Jews avoid working, using equipment, and exchanging money.
Dozens of ultra-Orthodox Jews, all men and boys, chanted “Shabbat as they approached Cafe Basimta while wearing matching modest black suits. A few of the younger ones worked themselves into a frenzy as they screamed and feigned to spit or toss down their hats. As the nation is ready for elections on October 27 that will decide Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the face-to-face altercation on the street in Jerusalem offers a glimpse of two very different Israelis.
For almost twenty years, Netanyahu has relied on ultra-Orthodox Jews for electoral support, despite his secular personal beliefs. He has assisted the ultra-Orthodox in gaining more influence and is currently in charge of the most right-wing cabinet in Israeli history.
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