Jerusalem Waitresses Flash Bras To Scare Off Ultra-Orthodox Protesters
The wait staff at a Jerusalem cafe lifted their shirts to scare away a group of ultra-Orthodox men after dealing with weeks of protests, The Washington Post reported.
Bastet, a vegan and LGBT-friendly cafe, is open on Saturdays during the Sabbath, the Jewish day of rest. Each week, a group of ultra-Orthodox men walk by, condemning the decision by chanting “Shabbos!” the Yiddish word for the Sabbath.
The men left at the sight of the staff’s bras — looking upon them would go against Orthodox Judaism’s strict modesty rules.
A similar incident occurred in Jerusalem during the Eurovision Song Contest last month. Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews clashed with police while protesting the decision to hold the final on the Sabbath. A small group of women counter-protested by taking off their shirts. The men took off right away.
Alyssa Fisher is a writer at the Forward. Email her at fisher@forward.com, or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO