Jerusalem – Alma Ronen has been fighting in the Israeli military nearly constantly for more than two years. Spending her Saturday not in uniform but in a T-shirt and jeans, she would like to enjoy a coffee outside — and resents that her more religious compatriots think otherwise. Every week since June, ultra-Orthodox protesters have descended on a cafe in central Jerusalem that lies precariously close to their neighborhood, angered it has opened on the Sabbath, or Shabbat, the day of rest when observant Jews shun work, machinery and exchanging money.
Clad in their matching modest black suits, dozens of ultra-Orthodox Jews — all men and boys — shouted “Shabbat!” as they approached Cafe Basimta, with several younger ones working themselves into a frenzy as they screamed and theatrically pretended to spit or throw down their hats.
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