Coffee Shop Faces Backlash Over Pro-Israel Stance

A New York City coffee shop has encountered significant criticism online due to its decision to exclude a Democratic congressman based on his pro-Israel stance. Poetica Coffee shared a Facebook post on Sunday featuring Representative Dan Goldman at one of its Brooklyn locations. The post included a picture showing the shop’s refund of $9.82 for his purchase, stating they did not want business from those they deemed as ‘genocide enablers.’

In the post, Poetica addressed Goldman directly, with remarks emphasizing their policy against serving individuals they labeled as racists, fascists, homophobes, or genocide enablers. They remarked about Goldman’s participation in the upcoming Democratic primary, implying their disapproval.

The post has been condemned by Jewish leaders and resulted in a review bombing campaign against the business. Prior to the post, reviews on Poetica Coffee were predominantly positive. However, following the incident, there has been a surge in negative one-star reviews, leading Yelp to temporarily pause reviews to assess their validity.

Yelp stated they are investigating whether recent reviews are authentic customer experiences, emphasizing their policy against content that supports racism or discrimination. Poetica Coffee has also shared alleged death threats on Instagram, a page which has now been deactivated for unknown reasons.

Goldman acknowledged the post, expressing disappointment and discussing a positive interaction with a barista during his visit, highlighting kind behavior from the staff.

Jewish Community Relations Council CEO Mark Treyger criticized the shop’s post, describing it as antisemitism by attributing collective blame based on disagreements with Middle Eastern policies. Treyger stressed that public businesses should not discriminate based on religion or ethnicity.

Following the incident, the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division announced an investigation into Poetica Coffee, indicating potential enforcement action.