A team of lawyers is preparing to file a civil rights lawsuit against Jerusalem Coffee House, an Oakland, CA café that has drawn controversy over its treatment of a Jewish customer. Attorneys say they are finalizing the legal complaint and expect to bring the case to state court “very, very soon.”
The lawsuit is set to thrust the coffee shop back into the spotlight after a string of incidents last year, including an internet firestorm over its “Sweet Sinwar” drink, released around the first anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre orchestrated by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Plaintiff Jonathan Hirsch of Oakland is working with lawyers from the Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law in his complaint against the coffee shop. The lawsuit will center on an Oct. 26, 2024, incident that was captured on video and shared widely over the internet. In the video, Hirsch is sitting in the business with his young son and wearing a navy-blue hat emblazoned with a Star of David when he is told to leave.
“Get out of my business,” says Abdulrahim Harara, a co-founder of Jerusalem Coffee House. “This is a violent hat and you need to leave.”
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“You can’t ask me to leave because of my religion,” Hirsch says.
“I’m not asking you to leave because of that,” Harara replies. “Are you a Zionist?”
“I don’t have to identify myself,” Hirsch says.
“Leave,” Harara says, pointing at the door.
Oakland police eventually arrive, and Hirsch and his son leave.
The Jerusalem Coffee House did not respond to a request for comment sent via Instagram.
The shop, which opened in 2023, celebrates Palestinian culture and sells Palestinian-inspired items like a date tahini latte. It also hosts political events and fundraisers for Palestinians. It describes itself as “rooted in revolution.” The cafe features inverted red triangles, a Hamas symbol that has come to represent violent resistance to Israel, on its menu and on a mural outside the business. The menu also features an “iced in-tea fada.”
Omer Wiczyk, a lawyer with the Brandeis Center, a pro-Israel law firm focused on combating antisemitism, told J. on Wednesday that the lawsuit will name Harara and what he described as “the company that owns the place” as defendants.
“We’re going to be suing all of them,” Wiczyk said. “All of them have the obligation to uphold the law.”
Wiczyk said the lawsuit will assert that Hirsch was kicked out of the business because of his religion, which violates California civil rights law under the Unruh Civil Rights Act.
The Brandeis Center, a nonprofit law firm based in Washington, D.C., was founded in 2011 by Kenneth Marcus, who went on to serve as assistant secretary for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education under the first Trump administration. For years, the Brandeis Center focused exclusively on antisemitism at universities but more recently branched out beyond college campuses.
Wiczyk said the facts of the Jerusalem Coffee Shop case are clear-cut to him.
“You can’t ask somebody if they’re a Zionist. It’s none of your business what my politics are. It’s not like he’s asking anybody who walks in if they are a Zionist,” Wiczyk said.
“It would be like if I was wearing a cross, and walked into a location and someone started asking questions about my politics,” he added. “This is America. You don’t get to refuse service to Jews.”
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