Dozens of pro-Israel demonstrators gathered outside a Brooklyn coffee shop after it said Jewish Congressman Dan Goldman was not welcome because of his pro-Israel views. The protest followed an incident in which Goldman entered the cafe with his daughter and bought coffee as a thank-you to an employee who had let his daughter use the restroom.
The cafe later posted on social media attacking Goldman and calling him a “genocide enabler.” It then refunded his payment and told him not to return. The dispute quickly escalated into a public controversy, drawing both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian protesters to the site, with the latter waving Palestinian flags.
Jane Zerkel, one of the protest organizers, said, “We are proud of our Jewish identity and will not allow businesses to dictate to Jews what position they may hold on Israel.” She added, “He came in to buy a cup of coffee, not to debate foreign policy.”
The incident also drew the attention of the U.S. Department of Justice, which opened a review of the case. Goldman condemned the accusations against him, saying, “The idea of accusing someone you do not know of supporting genocide is simply crazy. We need to be better than this.”
