Kikar HaShabbat
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Kikar HaShabbat (, lit., "Sabbath Square"), known in the
Haredi Haredi Judaism (, ) is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that is characterized by its strict interpretation of religious sources and its accepted (Jewish law) and traditions, in opposition to more accommodating values and practices. Its members are ...
community as Kikar HaShabbos, is a major intersection joining five streets in
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
,
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
, between
Mea Shearim Mea Shearim (, lit., "hundred gates"; contextually, "a hundred fold", Ashkenazi Hebrew and Yiddish pronunciation: Meye Shorim) is one of the oldest Ashkenazi neighborhoods in Jerusalem outside of the Old City. It is populated by Ashkenazi Hared ...
and
Geula Geula ( lit. ''Redemption'') is a neighborhood in the center of Jerusalem, populated mainly by Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jews. Geula is bordered by Zikhron Moshe and Mekor Baruch on the west, the Bukharim neighborhood on the north, Mea Shearim on t ...
: Yehezkel Street from the north,
Malkhei Yisrael Street Malkhei Yisrael Street (, ''Rechov Malkhei Yisrael'', lit. "Kings of Israel Street"), also spelled Malchei Yisrael, is an east–west street in the Geula neighborhood of north-central Jerusalem. Its eastern flank, which abuts Mea Shearim Street at ...
from the west, Mea Shearim Street from the east,
Straus Street Straus Street (, ''Rehov Straus'') is a north-south road in north-central Jerusalem. It starts at Jaffa Road and extends to Kikar HaShabbat (Sabbath Square), which marks the intersection of five streets: Straus Street, Yeshayahu Street, Malkhei ...
from the southeast, and Yisha'ayahu Street from the southwest. From the early years of the State of Israel, this intersection became a site of friction between religious and secular
Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
over issues of
Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, Ten Commandments, commanded by God to be kept as a Holid ...
observance. Rallies and demonstrations held at this spot have sometimes turned violent. Due to its central location, the intersection is also a gathering place for community and holiday events, such as the second ''
hakafah A hakafah (; plural hakafot ) is a Jewish ''minhag'' (tradition) in which people walk or dance around a specific object, generally in a religious setting. In Judaism, there is a custom on Sukkot to encircle the reader's platform ( bimah) with th ...
'' (ritual circling) held on the night after
Simhat Torah Simchat Torah (; Ashkenazi: ), also spelled Simhat Torah, is a Jewish holiday that celebrates and marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle. Simchat Torah is a component of the Hebrew Bible ...
.


History

Tensions between Haredi Jews and the growing secular movement rose during the British Mandate period. One of dominant points of conflict was Shabbat violation by Jews driving their vehicles through the neighborhood on Shabbat. A "Shabbat War" evolved in which companies offered public transportation and sold agricultural produce on Shabbat. This led the
Edah HaChareidis The Charedi Community of Jerusalem (, ''haEdah haCharedit'', Ashkenazi pronunciation: ''ho-Aideh HaCharaidis'' or ''ho-Eido ha-Chareidis''; "Community of God-Fearers") is a large Haredi Jewish communal organization based in Jerusalem. It has s ...
organization to ban produce of the
Tnuva Tnuva, or Tenuvah, (, ''fruit'' or ''produce'') is an Israeli food creation and marketing company. The company holds in Israel a significant market share in the field of drinking milk production, dairy products and its marketing. It was for its ...
cooperative. In June 1948, a mass demonstration against Shabbat violation was violently dispersed by the military police. The situation became more sensitive after the war. The most direct road from
Mandelbaum Gate The Mandelbaum Gate is a former checkpoint between the Israeli and Jordanian sectors of Jerusalem, just north of the western edge of the Old City along the Green Line. The first checkpoint for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan/Israel Mixed Armis ...
(a major army post on the border of divided Jerusalem) to the old
Schneller Orphanage Schneller Orphanage, also called the Syrian Orphanage, was a German Protestant orphanage that operated in Jerusalem from 1860 to 1940. It was one of the first structures to be built outside the Old City of Jerusalem – the others being Kerem ...
(which had become the supply center for Jerusalem military units), went straight through the main Haredi neighborhoods, as well as through Kikar HaShabbat. The frequent passage of military vehicles through these neighborhoods on Shabbat was the starting point for many demonstrations. The decision of the Edison and Eden theaters to open on Shabbat afternoons was another sore point. The summer of 1950 saw an intensification of the demonstrations and the move of the center to what is now known as Kikar HaShabbat. The Shabbat demonstrations at the intersection were often started by members of
Neturei Karta Neturei Karta () is a List of Jewish anti-Zionist organizations, Jewish anti-Zionist organization that advocates Palestinian nationalism. Founded by and for Haredim and Zionism, Haredi Jews opposed to Zionism, it is primarily active in parts o ...
, who opposed
Zionism Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...
and rejected the authority of the secularist state. The intersection was traversed by military vehicles on a regular basis. The intersection has since been closed to motor vehicles on Shabbat and Jewish holidays. The Tnuva dairy factory, located near the intersection, received shipments of milk from settlements near Jerusalem on Shabbat as well as weekdays. Haredi demonstrators adopted a tactic known as "Fred" after one of the community's leaders. The demonstrators filled the street with people and marched back and forth, forcing the vehicles to navigate slowly through the crowd. On August 12, 1950, three trucks of youth from
Hashomer Hatzair Hashomer Hatzair (, , 'The Young Guard') is a Labor Zionism, Labor Zionist, secular Jewish youth movement founded in 1913 in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, Austria-Hungary. It was also the name of the Hashomer Hatzair Workers Party, the ...
movement arrived at a demonstration leading to rioting and police action. The demonstrations continued every Shabbat afternoon, throughout that and the following summers. In 1965 the intersection was officially closed to traffic on Shabbat, although it had already been closed de facto years before. It's also widely known as the center of protest where a majority of demonstrations occur occasionally on multiple topics.


References

{{coord, 31, 47, 18.06, N, 35, 13, 6.83, E, region:IL, display=title Squares in Jerusalem