DOJ Sues Oakland Café Over Alleged Antisemitism

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a civil rights lawsuit against Jerusalem Coffee House in Oakland, California, and its owner, Fathi Abdulrahim Harara, alleging discrimination against Jewish customers by denying them service based on religion, with incidents including verbal harassment—one recorded on video and another involving a patron with his five-year-old son. The lawsuit claims these actions violate Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans discrimination in public accommodations. Additional allegations include antisemitic behavior and the introduction of menu items named after controversial figures and symbols linked to anti-Jewish violence, timed with the anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. The coffee shop's attorney denies the antisemitism allegations, calling the lawsuit a political stunt to suppress pro-Palestinian voices and claiming the incidents were misrepresented. The DOJ seeks to require the café to change its practices but is not requesting monetary damages. Local leaders have condemned the reported incidents.