Jerusalem Coffee House in Oakland, California, remained closed Wednesday after temporarily shutting its doors last week to focus on three lawsuits alleging it discriminated against Jewish customers, including a father and his 5-year-old son, as the Palestinian-owned café prepares for a federal civil rights trial set for October.The coffee house announced in August that it would stop operating after Aug.23 while its owners prepared for the litigation, including a Justice Department case scheduled for trial Oct.
26.A federal judge previously rejected the defendants’ attempt to dismiss the DOJ lawsuit, which alleges Fathi Abdulrahim Harara and employees refused service to Jewish customers wearing Star of David caps and followed them outside while hurling insults and threats.The café blamed its legal problems on efforts to suppress its pro-Palestinian politics in an August statement on Substack, announcing the closure.Jerusalem Coffee House in Oakland temporarily closed as it faced three lawsuits alleging discrimination against Jewish customers.
(iStock)DOJ INVESTIGATING NYC COFFEE SHOP OVER HOSTILE SOCIAL POST ABOUT PRO-ISRAEL POLITICIAN"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," it said.California Republican Party Jewish engagement chair and attorney Elizabeth Barcohana criticized the shop’s defense of its conduct in a statement to Fox News Digital 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, in one case calling it a 'violent' hat," she said."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 ...