Protesters Rally Outside Brooklyn Coffee Shop That Banned Jewish Congressman Over Israel Stance

Pro-Israel demonstrators converged on Poetica Coffee in Brooklyn on Wednesday, accusing the café of antisemitism after it publicly ejected Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., over his views on the Israel-Gaza conflict. The protest came days after Poetica posted a now-deleted social media message calling Goldman a "genocide enabler" and refunding his purchase — a move that drew a Department of Justice civil rights inquiry. Goldman, who lost his Democratic primary the day before, said the barista who served him had been "especially kind."

Dueling Demonstrations on Lorimer Street

On Wednesday morning, protesters lined both sides of Lorimer Street outside the café: pro-Israel demonstrators carrying Israeli and American flags, and anti-Israel protesters responding with slogans of their own. Jayne Zirkle, Director of Communications and Outreach for The Lawfare Project and a lead organizer of the pro-Israel contingent, drew a sharp line around the nature of the incident. Goldman, she noted, did not enter the shop to start a foreign policy debate — he walked in to buy a cup of coffee. "There shouldn't be a political test that anybody should have to pass to be treated with dignity," she said.

The Post That Ignited the Backlash

Goldman said he entered Poetica because his seven-year-old daughter needed to use the restroom, and he purchased a coffee to thank the staff for their hospitality. The café's now-deleted Instagram post responded by sharing a photo of Goldman inside the shop, branding him a "genocide enabler," and announcing it had refunded his purchase. Goldman asked publicly that the barista still receive her tip despite the refund, saying she could not have been kinder. Critics pointed to Poetica's own website — which promises "the door doesn't close on anyone, where tea gets poured before anyone asks who you are" — as a direct contradiction of its conduct.

DOJ Inquiry and Goldman's Response

The Justice Department's Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation into Poetica Coffee over alleged "denial of service taunts" aimed at Goldman. Goldman himself said he did not believe the matter rose to the level of a federal inquiry. The congressman, a self-described liberal Zionist who has been critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told CNN's Laura Coates the accusation was untethered from reality. "The idea of accusing someone who you don't know of supporting a genocide — I mean, it's crazy," he said.

Primary Loss Frames the Moment

The Lorimer Street confrontation unfolded the morning after Goldman lost his Democratic primary in a landslide to former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who was backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Ramon Maislen, a Jewish Brooklyn resident who recently led a discrimination complaint at the Park Slope Food Coop, told Fox News Digital he sees the Poetica episode as part of a wider pattern. Anti-Zionist activism in Brooklyn, he argued, has reached the point where Jewish identity is conditionally tolerated — accepted only if paired with opposition to Israel. Poetica Coffee and Goldman's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.