DOJ sues Oakland coffee shop for harassing, denying service to Jewish customers

The US Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit Monday against the owners of Jerusalem Coffee House in Oakland, accusing them of engaging in illegal, antisemitic discrimination against Jewish customers in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, the lawsuit names Fathi Abdulrahim Harara and his company, Native Grounds LLC, as defendants. According to the complaint, Harara and his employees repeatedly denied service to Jewish patrons and subjected them to verbal abuse and harassment because of their religious identity.

“It is illegal, intolerable, and reprehensible for any American business open to the public to refuse to serve Jewish customers,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “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 combating anti-Semitism and protecting the civil rights of all Americans.”

According to the lawsuit, two separate incidents involving Jewish patrons were central to the federal action. In both cases, customers were allegedly singled out due to clothing that featured the Star of David. One was reportedly told, “You’re the guy with the hat. You’re the Jew. You’re the Zionist. We don’t want you in our coffee shop. Get out.” In another case, a Jewish father visiting the shop with his five-year-old son was called a “Zionist” and accused of supporting “genocide.” Harara then ordered them to leave and contacted Oakland police, falsely accusing them of trespassing.

The lawsuit further alleges that the coffee shop publicly embraced extremist symbols and rhetoric. On the first anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, the shop introduced two drinks: the “Iced In Tea Fada,” a reference to the Palestinian “Intifada,” which means armed uprising, and “Sweet Sinwar,” referencing Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader who orchestrated the massacre. Additionally, the coffee shop’s exterior features inverted red triangles—symbols often used in anti-Semitic graffiti to threaten Jews.

One of the incidents that prompted both public outcry and legal scrutiny occurred on October 26, 2024, and was captured on video. Jonathan Hirsh, a Jewish Oakland resident, entered the coffee house wearing a hat adorned with a Star of David. According to his lawsuit filed in March, he ordered a latte and was playing chess with his son while waiting, when Harara approached and demanded to know if he was a “Zionist.”

When Hirsh declined to answer, Harara allegedly told him to leave. The confrontation escalated, with the owner calling Hirsh’s hat “a violent hat” and attempting to forcibly remove him from the premises. The situation continued outside the coffee shop in front of responding Oakland police officers.

In footage that went viral, Harara is heard shouting, “F*ck Israel. F*ck Zionists,” calling Hirsh a “b*tch,” and verbally abusing Hirsh’s young son, saying, “Hey, your dad’s a b*tch.”

Police reportedly told Hirsh to leave and warned that he could be arrested for trespassing if he returned.

Attorney Omer Wiczyk, representing Hirsh in the civil suit against the coffee house, called the events “a frightening reminder of the growing anti-Semitism that far too many have experienced in recent years.”

“The anti-Semitism that Mr. Hirsh and his son experienced is utterly shocking,” Wiczyk said. “In the United States of America, a business cannot refuse to serve someone because they are Jewish, or any other race, religion, or ethnicity.”

While the DOJ lawsuit does not seek monetary damages—Title II only allows for injunctive relief—it aims to force the business to change its discriminatory policies and practices.