Lawsuit claims Jerusalem Coffee House ejected Jewish patrons, promoted antisemitic drinks, and displayed hate symbols in violation of civil rights law.

By David Brummer, World Israel News

The US Justice Department filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday against the owners of an Oakland, California, coffee shop accused of refusing to serve Jewish customers and promoting antisemitic messages, according to a statement.

The complaint, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, names Fathi Abdulrahim Harara and Native Grounds LLC, operators of the Jerusalem Coffee House, and alleges they violated Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The law prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, religion, or national origin in businesses open to the public.

“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.

“The Justice Department is committed to combating anti-Semitism and protecting the civil rights of all Americans.”

Justice Department Sues Coffee House for Refusal to Serve Jewish Customers

: https://t.co/fY51wshtnq pic.twitter.com/ngT99v16fv

— DOJ Civil Rights Division (@CivilRights) June 9, 2025

According to the suit, the defendants denied Jewish patrons equal access to the coffee shop’s services on at least two occasions.

In both incidents, Jewish customers were reportedly singled out because they were wearing caps bearing the Star of David.

In one instance, an employee allegedly told a customer, “You’re the Jew. You’re the Zionist. We don’t want you in our coffee shop. Get out.”

In another, Harara is said to have berated a customer accompanied by his 5-year-old son, accusing him of supporting “genocide” and calling police to falsely report him for trespassing.

The lawsuit also cites actions taken by the café on the anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.

That day, the business introduced two new beverages: “Iced In Tea Fada” — a play on “intifada,” and “Sweet Sinwar,” referring to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who orchestrated the attacks.

Federal prosecutors also point to inverted red triangles painted on the shop’s exterior — a symbol associated with threats and attacks against Jews.

While Title II does not allow the Justice Department to seek monetary damages for victims, the department is pursuing an injunction to require changes to the shop’s practices and prevent future discrimination.

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An employee of the store called the police on the man and forced him and his son to leave because of the Star of David hat that he was wearing.

A shocking scene captured on camera in 2024 America

A Jewish man wearing a hat with a Star of David visits a cafe in Oakland, California, orders a coffee, and sits down to play chess.

A man, apparently an employee, asks him to leave. When he refuses, the employee calls the… pic.twitter.com/0qizOd9Mvu

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) October 31, 2024

The post WATCH: Man and his son get tossed from cafe for wearing Star of David cap appeared first on World Israel News.

The city council in Oakland blatantly lied about Hamas’s war crimes and genocidal intent for the Jewish people and staunchly supported terrorism in their resolution.

The post WATCH: Vile video of the Oakland City Council spewing lies appeared first on World Israel News.

Speakers denied Hamas atrocities, lauded the terror group as the ‘armed wing of Palestinian resistance.’

By The Associated Press

Oakland’s City Council on Monday passed a resolution calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war after hours of hearing impassioned rhetoric about the war, including denials of Hamas atrocities and even outright support for the terror group.

The council in the California Bay Area city voted 8-0 in favor of a motion supporting a congressional resolution for a permanent ceasefire, along with the unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza and a restoration of basic services, as well as “respect for international law” and the release of all hostages.

Before the vote, the council voted 6-2 to reject proposed amendments by member Dan Kalb that specifically condemned killings and hostage-taking by Hamas, whose Oct. 7 attacks in Israel prompted the war that has devastated Gaza.

The motion was met by boos and angry shouts from the packed chamber.

Kalb later went on to vote with the majority, noting that the unchanged resolution also didn’t mention Israel.

In fact, councilmember Caroll Fife, who brought the resolution, said it went through four drafts and “intentionally attempted to de-politicize” the issue by “lifting up what we support and not what we condemn.”

She said the issue of a cease-fire was “deeply, deeply concerning” to Oakland residents and called for a moment of silence for the lives lost on both sides of the conflict.

“I want Jewish children to live as much as I want Palestinian children to live,” she said.

The deaths of thousands of children, most of them in Gaza, weighed heavily on councilmembers.

“The number of children who have been killed just since Oct. 7 surpassed the number of children who have been killed in global conflicts over the past four years,” council President Nikki Fortunato Bas said.

“I was absolutely mortified by seeing dead babies” on social media,” and a ceasefire would be crucial for stopping the killing, councilmember Kevin Jenkins said.

Harsher language was used by most of the dozens of speakers, including Jewish anti-Zionist activists, who argued for passage of the measure. They accused Israel of “colonization of Palestine” and of apartheid and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.

“We’ve seen the targeting and massacring of civilians, of health care facilities, of hospitals and ambulances,” said one speaker, who identified herself as a recent medical school graduate. “Silence in the face of oppression and genocide, I don’t think, is an acceptable response.”

Others argued that Oakland taxpayers shouldn’t be funding weapons for Israel when the money could be used for problems within the city, such as housing the homeless.

Some speakers denied Hamas’ atrocities, with one woman saying: “There have not been beheadings and rapings [sic].”

“Israel murdered their own people on October 7th.”

Another speaker explicitly defended Hamas, saying: “I support the right of the Palestinian people to resist occupation, including through Hamas, the armed wing of the unified Palestinian resistance.”

One woman defended Hamas, and argued that calling the terrorist a terror organization is “ridiculous, racist, and plays into genocidal propaganda.”

A temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, which Qatar helped broker, is currently in place.

Similar resolutions have passed in Detroit and two other cities in Michigan, where a large percentage of Arab Americans live, as well as in Atlanta; Akron, Ohio; Wilmington, Delaware; and Providence, Rhode Island.

U.S. cities have been adopting resolutions regarding the conflict even though they have no legal role or formal say in the process, said David Glazier, who teaches constitutional law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles.

“It raises an interesting question on where they are getting this mandate to speak for the people in their city when nobody elected a city council person because of their stance on Middle East peace,” he said.

In the nearby city of Richmond, an approved resolution calling for a cease-fire and accusing Israel of ethnic cleansing prompted more than five hours of heated debate in October.

The city of Ypsilanti, near Detroit, approved a peace resolution but rescinded it amid backlash.

Oakland’s resolution demands “an immediate ceasefire; release of all hostages, the unrestricted entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza; the restoration of food, water, electricity, and medical supplies to Gaza; and the respect for international law; and calls for a resolution that protects the security of all innocent civilians.”

Now, city councils are just the latest arena where intense debates over the war are playing out.

Protesters calling for a cease-fire recently shut down traffic on a major bridge into San Francisco during an international economic summit, and the California Democratic Party recently canceled some events at its fall convention due to demonstrations.

In some cases, the tension has turned violent. A pro-Palestinian protester was charged with involuntary manslaughter this month after a Jewish man died from head injuries following dueling protests in Southern California. He pleaded not guilty.

Oakland’s action comes as Hamas has released some hostages captured in the Oct. 7 attack, while Israel has released some jailed Palestinian terrorists. Israel has said it would extend the cease-fire by one day for every 10 additional hostages released, but that it remains committed to crushing Hamas’ military capabilities and ending the group’s 16-year rule over Gaza, which would likely mean expanding the Israeli military’s ground offensive.

The war started after Hamas broke through Israel’s high-tech “Iron Wall” on Oct. 7 and launched an attack that left more than 1,200 Israelis dead. Hamas also took nearly 250 people hostage.

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