The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against a coffee shop that refused service to Jewish customers, arguing that the business is in violation of Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The law prohibits discrimination based on one’s race, color, religion, and natural origin.
According to the lawsuit, the Jerusalem Coffee House in Oakland, California, denied service to Jewish customers and harassed them.
Fathi Abdulrahim Harara, an owner of the business, told customers wearing baseball caps with Stars of David, “You’re the guy with the hat. You’re the Jew. You’re the Zionist. We don’t want you in our coffee shop. Get out.”
In another incident, Harara accused another Jewish customer with his son of being a “Zionist” supporting “genocide.”
Following the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel, the coffee house shared two new drinks called “Iced in Tea Fada” and “Sweet Sinwar.” The drinks referred to “intifada” and former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
The lawsuit notes that the business’s interior “has, or has had, at least four inverted red triangles painted on it. Inverted red triangles have been used as a symbol of violence against Jews, and synagogues and Jewish homes in the United States have had inverted red triangles spraypainted on them as part of anti-Semitic vandalism.”
“It is illegal, intolerable, and reprehensible for any American business open to the public to refuse to serve Jewish customers,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Through our vigorous enforcement of Title II of the Civil Rights Act and other laws prohibiting race and religious discrimination, the Justice Department is committed to combatting anti-Semitism and discrimination and protecting the civil rights of all Americans.”
