Pam Bondi issues warning to businesses as DOJ sues coffee shop
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a warning to American businesses after the Department of Justice announced it was suing a Californian coffee shop for discrimination over the name of one if its menu items, as well as allegations it refused service to two Jewish customers.
Jerusalem Coffee House, in Oakland, whose owner is of Palestinian descent, is accused of adding new drinks to the menu that celebrated Hamas on the one-year anniversary of the militant group’s October 7, 2023, attack in Israel.
“One was ‘Sweet Sinwar’ in honor, in tribute to the leader of Hamas,” Bondi said on Fox News on Wednesday. ” You can’t do that. And so we’ve sued them and we’re going to stop this from happening. And anywhere in the country, if you do this, we’re coming after you.”
Attorney Glenn Katon, representing the Jerusalem Coffee House, told Newsweek that they rejected the DOJ’s allegations.
“Neither the owner nor staff are anti-Semitic, and they would not tolerate anti-Semitism in their cafe,” Katon said in an emailed statement.
Why It Matters
The lawsuit comes amid the Trump administration’s efforts to tackle antisemitism across the country. The DOJ argues that the Civil Rights Act may have been violated, if the shop’s owners refused service based on customers’ Jewish identities.
What To Know
On top of the concerns about menu items, the lawsuit, filed Monday, alleges that the coffee shop denied service to two customers wearing the Star of David, something the owner strongly denies.
According to the civil complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, one customer visited the coffee shop while scoping out a nearby venue for a workplace event. He was wearing a baseball cap with the Hebrew words “Am Yisraeli Chai,” which translates to “The people of lsrael live.”
A man sitting outside the shop allegedly asked if he was a Jew and a Zionist, before accusing the customer of being complicit in Israel’s actions following the October 7 attack. The customer then left.
When the customer returned for the event, the man was working behind the counter. He told the customer that he was not welcome in the shop, with owner Fathi Abdulrahim Harara then allegedly joining yelling “Jew” and “Zionist” at him in the street.
On another occasion, another Jewish customer was allegedly told by Harara to leave with his 5-year-old son after being asked if he was a “Zionist.”
The lawsuit also alleges that for the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks, the coffee shop introduced two new menu items: “Iced In Tea Fada,” appearing to reference “intifada,” and “Sweet Sinwar,” an apparent reference to the former leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar.
Harara denies the allegations against him and the coffee shop, with his attorney telling Newsweek that the lawsuit was a political stunt.
What People Are Saying
Attorney Glenn Katon, in his statement to Newsweek: “This lawsuit is part of the Trump administration’s effort to silence voices for Palestinian human rights by falsely branding those voices antisemitic. The customer who was asked to leave harassed customers. He has a history of inciting conflict and this is just another staged incident for him to bring attention to himself.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, in a press release: “It is illegal, intolerable, and reprehensible for any American business open to the public to refuse to serve Jewish customers. Through our vigorous enforcement of Title II of the Civil Rights Act and other laws prohibiting race and religious discrimination, the Justice Department is committed to combatting anti-Semitism and discrimination and protecting the civil rights of all Americans.”
What Happens Next
Bondi said the DOJ would seek to target any businesses seen to have implemented antisemitic practices.
Correction 6/12/25, 9:17 a.m. ET: This article was updated to clarify that it concerns a civil complaint.
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