Kikar HaShabbat

Kikar HaShabbat (Hebrew: כיכר השבת‎‎, lit., "Sabbath Square"), known in the Haredi community as Kikar Shabbos, is a major intersection joining five streets in Jerusalem, Israel, between Meah Shearim and Geula: Yehezkel Street from the north, Malkhei Yisrael Street from the west, Mea Shearim Street from the east, Straus Street 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 over issues of Sabbath 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 hakafot held on the night after Simhat Torah.

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 Haredit organization to ban produce of the Tnuva 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 (a major army post on the border of divided Jerusalem) to the old Schneller Orphanage (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.

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