DOJ Opens Investigation into Brooklyn Café That Banned Pro-Israel Congressman
A New York City coffee chain made clear in a Monday social-media post that Representative Dan Goldman was not welcome due to his moderately pro-Israel views and refunded the Democratic lawmaker for a coffee he had bought the day before.
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The Department of Justice Civil Rights Division opened an investigation into Poetica Coffee in response to the hostile Instagram post targeting Goldman, who had visited the chain’s Lorimer Street location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on Sunday with his seven-year-old daughter.
“See, here at Poetica, we don’t serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers, or anyone in between,” the café wrote. “Too bad we didn’t recognize you right away, or we would have turned you away.”
The post warned Goldman never to come back and refunded his $9.82 coffee, claiming that “it’s probably coming from AIPAC anyway.”
The Department of Justice took immediate action.
“Federal law prohibits public accommodations such as coffee shops from discriminating against patrons based on their race, religion, or national origin,” said Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon on X. “These actions are not only reprehensible, they’re potentially illegal.”
Goldman, who said he stopped in the coffee shop so his daughter could use the bathroom, said the experience was “quite surprising.”
“I had such a nice interaction with the barista in the coffee shop,” Goldman said in an interview on CNN. “She couldn’t have been nicer and allowed by daughter to go use the bathroom and I honestly was so grateful for her kindness that I felt like I should buy a coffee, so I did and I gave her a large tip.”
Poetica’s Instagram account appears to have been deleted, though screenshots of the post attacking Goldman have circulated widely on X.
Poetica Coffee is an Uzbek café with seven locations throughout New York. According to its website, the café roots its service in the concept of “memon,” the Uzbek term for “sacred guest.” The shop claims to welcome all people “before knowing anything about them.”
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Poetica is also a self-proclaimed “dynamic haven for both creative pursuits and meaningful connections.” The café claims to offer both “spirited discussions with like-minded individuals” and space to sit in solitude.
Each of the café’s locations has a shelf of banned books, and visitors are encouraged to take a book home to read.
Goldman’s support for Israel has become a central issue in his reelection bid in New York’s 10th congressional district, which covers parts of Manhattan and affluent neighborhoods in Brooklyn. While he has criticized the conduct of Israel’s war in Gaza, he has faced attacks from the left over his refusal to endorse a ban on U.S. military aid to Israel. He has also been attacked for accepting individual donations through the American Israel Public Affairs Committee website, though he has refused to accept donations from AIPAC itself. Goldman is facing Democratic Socialist Brad Lander, who has received an endorsement from Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
“I’ve been very openly opposed to this Israeli government,” Goldman said. He stressed that Israel is a democracy with free elections, and he is hopeful that the country will make the “right choice” in its elections later this year.
“I have so many issues with Donald Trump. I have many issues with Prime Minister Netanyahu,” he told CNN. “But simply because I support the existence of Israel as a Jewish state — as the only Jewish state — does not by any means mean that I support everything that government does.”
Beyond the politics of these accusations, Goldman lamented the unrealistic image it presented of his city.
“Two people obviously from different backgrounds, different faiths,” Goldman told CNN, “but that’s what America is. That’s what New York City is.”
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