The Media Line: DOJ Probes Brooklyn Cafe After It Boasts of Refusing Service to Pro-Israel Congressman  

DOJ Probes Brooklyn Cafe After It Boasts of Refusing Service to Pro-Israel Congressman  

By The Media Line Staff  

The Justice Department has opened a civil rights investigation into a Brooklyn coffee shop after it publicly claimed it refused service to Rep. Dan Goldman over his support for Israel, a move federal officials said could violate anti-discrimination laws governing public accommodations.  

“The Civil Rights Division has opened an investigation and will bring an enforcement action if warranted,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon wrote Monday on X.  

Dhillon added that “Federal law prohibits public accommodations such as coffee shops from discriminating against patrons based on their race, religion, or national origin.”  

The investigation follows a social media controversy involving Poetica, a cafe in Williamsburg, which posted and later deleted a message after Goldman visited the shop during a Democratic primary campaign stop.  

In the deleted post, the cafe wrote: “Hey Congressman Dan Goldman, we see that you stopped by our shop today for a coffee. Do you see how it doesn’t taste like genocide juice? Or are you still having a hard time telling the difference?”  

The business also said it had refunded Goldman for his purchase without being asked and added: “We don’t need your money (it’s probably coming from AIPAC anyways,” referring to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.  

Goldman addressed the incident during an appearance on CNN with Laura Coates, saying the encounter inside the cafe had been cordial.  

According to the congressman, he entered the shop because his seven-year-old daughter needed to use the restroom. After a barista allowed her to do so, Goldman said he bought a coffee and left a large tip.  

“I had such a nice interaction with the barista in the coffee shop,” Goldman said.  

“She was wearing a hijab, I didn’t know her, but she couldn’t have been nicer and allowed my daughter to go use the bathroom, and I honestly was so grateful for her kindness that I felt like I should buy a coffee, and so I did, and I gave her a large tip.”  

Goldman said the episode reflected broader political divisions.  

“It’s a reflection, I think, of a sad state of affairs that without knowing me, we could have had such a nice interaction,” Goldman continued.  

The controversy erupted on the eve of Goldman’s Democratic primary contest against former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who has highlighted Goldman’s past support from AIPAC during the campaign.