Lefty California cafe shutters amid antisemitism firestorm, DOJ lawsuit — while whining about ‘Zionist’ attacks

Brew-tal!

An unrepentantly lefty Bay Area cafe battling three major discrimination lawsuits over treatment of Jewish customers slammed its doors shut suddenly, this week— citing “safety” fears and raging against its supposed “Zionist” foes.

Owners of Oakland’s Jerusalem Coffee House told customers on social media they were taking time to “reset ourselves,” and to “focus on restoring our nervous systems.”

The staunchly pro-Palestinian shop — which gained notoriety in 2024 for a special Oct. 7 attacks anniversary menu featuring provocatively named drinks like “Iced in Tea Fada” — is being sued by the DOJ, the Anti-Defamation League and the Brandeis Center for Justice.  

At the center of the legal battles are multiple incidents where the business claims they were harassed by “Zionists.”

The DOJ’s suit accuses proprietor Abdulrahim Harara and Native Grounds LLC, of violating the Civil Rights Act’s Title II ban on discrimination based on race, color, religion, and national origin.

A court date for their federal trial with the DOJ is set for October 26.

In a Substack post, a representative for the shop said the closure was needed in order to prepare for the court date.

The screed, which called the legal action an attempt to “repress free speech” over the cafe’s public, political commitment to the pro-Gaza cause, did not give a timeline for a promised return to normal business hours — but went into detail about alleged difficulties the business has faced.

“We’ve faced harassment, property damage, and hate messages,” the post read. “Despite it all, we’ve continued building the work that matters most to us.”

The ADL and Brandeis Center suits were brought by two patrons, Jonathan Hirsch and Michael Radice, who each visited the café in 2024.

In footage of Hirsch’s 2024 visit, owner Harara can be heard telling Hirsch to leave the shop after spotting his hat with the Star of David on it.

“This is a violent hat,” says Harara. “Are you a Zionist? Leave.” 

Hirsch’s lawsuit claims that Harara and the coffee shop engaged in religious discrimination and violated his civil rights. 

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Radice says he got into an argument with an employee at the shop who questioned him about his Jewish identity after visited wearing a Star of David hat that included the phrase “The people of Israel live” in Hebrew.

Radice says the returned to the shop a month later, ending in Harara and other employees following him outside of the shop, calling him a “Jew” and “Zionist.”

Trendy Bay Area businesses like Beitouna restaurant in San Francisco and Oakland’s Bake Sale Betty threw a fundraiser for the cafe’s legal fund, last week — while a small army of support came Harara’s way on Instagram, where prominent pro-Palestinian writer Sana Saeed gushed, calling the coffee house “such an important and necessary space.”

“That’s why the aggression against it has been so relentless,” she said.