Man kicked out of Oakland coffeehouse for wearing Star of David hat files lawsuit
(KRON) — A man appears to have been asked to leave a Palestinian-owned coffeehouse in Oakland last year for wearing a Star of David hat has filed a lawsuit against the cafe owner. In an incident that was partially caught on video, Jonathan Hirsch and his son were asked to leave Jerusalem Coffee House on Telegraph Avenue.
The incident occurred on Oct. 26 last year. Hirsch, according to the lawsuit, went to the coffeehouse so his son could use the restroom and ordered a latte for himself. In the video, as Hirsch and his son sat playing chess, the owner of the coffee shop, identified in the suit as Abdulrahim Harara, angrily tells Hirsch he needs to leave.
At one point in the video, Harara can be heard telling Hirsch he is wearing a 'violent hat.'
'This man cannot ask me to leave because of my hat,' Hirsch replies.
'Yeah, I can, it's my business,' the Harara responds.
Customers pepper sprayed in Orinda smash-and-grab
The owner goes on to ask Hirsch if he's a 'Zionist' and threatens to call the police. Hirsh continues to refuse to leave and threatens the owner with a lawsuit.
Eventually, police arrive and ask Hirsh to step outside. Harara, speaking into Hirsch's camera says, 'he loves Jewish people' before cursing Israel and 'Zionists.'
The incident was amplified by the Jewish Community Relations Council as an incident of anti-Semitism. Several local officials, including Rep. Ro Khanna, former Rep. Barbara Lee and Supervisor Matt Dorsey condemned the incident.
On Monday, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law announced it had filed a suit against the coffeehouse owner on behalf of Hirsch and his son. According to the lawsuit, which was filed in the Superior Court of the State of California, Alameda County, the 'defendants' denial of service violates California's Unruh Civil Rights Act, among other laws.'
'The anti-Semitism that Mr. Hirsch and his son experienced is utterly shocking, as was the defendants' ignorance of basic morality and the law,' said Brandeis Center Senior Counsel Omer Wiczyk, who is representing Hirsch. 'We look forward to educating the defendants — and anyone that shares their distorted views — in a court of law.'
The incident at the cafe, however, was apparently not the first time Hirsch has come into conflict in an incident that was caught on camera. According to a report in the San Francisco Standard, there were at least three other incidents in the year leading up to the coffeehouse incident when Hirsh engaged with loud public arguments with strangers, including at least one involving issues related to Israel and Palestine.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
27 minutes ago
- New York Post
Inside Israeli Embassy shooter Elias Rodriguez's fan club
Elias Rodriguez is accused of brutally murdering two Israeli embassy staffers — but a sick fan club cheering on his action is growing around him. A twisted online community has exploded supporting the suspected terrorist: Writing him letters in jail, petitioning for his release, and celebrating his crime as part of the so-called 'global intifada.' The Post infiltrated several popular Telegram channels which circulate op-eds, petitions and even stickers in support of the accused murderer. 8 Elias Rodriguez was arrested for allegedly shooting Yaron Lichinsky and Sarah Pilgrim in May. Katie Kalisher via Storyful Rodriguez, 31, is charged with shooting Yaron Lichinsky, 28, and Sarah Pilgrim, 26, late on May 21 as they were leaving a Young Diplomats Reception held at the Capital Jewish Museum in DC. The victims, who were a couple, both worked at the Israeli Embassy. Chicago native Rodriguez is now charged with two counts of first-degree murder and is being held in jail as prosecutors determine a full list of charges against him. Depraved Rodriguez, who had ties to radical left-wing groups, reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack that night while chanting 'Free Palestine' which has since made him the subject of praise online. A video of Rodriguez's arrest posted to Resistance News Network, a pro-Palestinian Telegram channel with more than 165,000 followers, received tremendous positive attention. 404 users reacted with a heart-on-fire emoji, and 192 more with a salute emoji. 8 A message posted to the Tariq el-Tahrir Youth and Student Network Telegram channel encouraged members to post stickers of Rodriguez 'everywhere.' Telegram Individuals on the Tariq el-Tahrir Youth and Student Network Telegram channel were encouraged to print out stickers of Rodriguez and to 'distribute them everywhere! Long live the armed anti-imperialist resistance!' Especially disturbing strings of comments about Rodriguez and racist hate directed towards Lichinsky and Pilgrim were left by members of GAZA NOW IN ENGLISH, a Telegram channel with more than 200,000 members. An image of Rodriguez posted to the channel the day after the attack praised him for, 'in a moment of courage, [deciding] to make his voice heard and [confronting] the murderers with boldness,' despite both of his victims being entirely innocent diplomats. 8 Stickers of Elias Rodriguez were circulated on Telegram groups to be downloaded by users. 8 Reactions on Telegram to Lichinsky and Pilgrim's murder were viciously antisemitic. Telegram 'Great man even though he's a Christian/atheist worm,' one channel member responded. Another wrote, 'Blessed… two zionists off to their promised land in HELL!!!' 'Go go go rodriguesz [sic], another shooter are welcomed,' a third user wrote. Another said, 'This should happen all over the world in each and every country.' Responses to a photo of the two victims were equally depraved. Heart emojis, Palestinian flags, poop emojis, and inverted red triangles, used by Hamas in military footage to indicate an Israeli target before an attack, littered the comment section. 'Welcome to hell,' someone emboldened by their anonymity wrote. Another chimed in, 'Those things are not 'people' they are demons.' 'Thank you… let all iarelist [sic] and zionist be killed,' a commenter added. 'Killing jews ia [sic] service to humanity. Kill more of these terrorist children killers,' someone wrote. 8 Many users on the GAZA NOW IN ENGLISH Telegram channel celebrated the murders. Telegram Multiple Telegram channels, including the United Liberation Front for Palestine and Resistance News Network, circulated a petition to free Rodriguez, written by the anonymous Free Elias Rodriguez Organizing Committee. 'Elias Rodriguez's targeted attack on two israeli [sic] diplomatic staff on May 21, 2025 was a legitimate act of resistance against the zionist state,' it reads, condoning murder on US territory for political ends. 8 Rodriguez's image was photoshopped onto a Palestinian flag, superimposed with a hammer and sickle. Telegram They compare Rodriguez to alleged United Healthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione, 'whose alleged actions,' the petition argues, 'also helped to balance the scales of justice.' 'We are saying that such counter-violence is legitimate. It is justice. Elias Rodriguez's act was fully justified, at that place where legal and moral duties meet.' 8 Several Telegram groups circulated a petition to free Elias Rodriguez from prison. Telegram Jewish groups have warned that many channels like these are actually seeded and fuelled by Hamas to spread its anti-Israel propaganda. 'The Telegram app has a channel where anyone can find English translations of propaganda from groups like Hamas. It's not necessarily like there's a menu of options from Hamas, it's not that official. They just create online spaces where people can access and circulate their propaganda. 'It serves Hamas by portraying them as a legitimate resistance instead of the bloodthirsty terrorists that they are. It has dangerous consequences and makes people feel like they are not alone in their resistance, which can make them more damaging,' Oren Segal, the Anti-Defamation League's SVP for Counter-Extremism and Intelligence, recently told The Post. 8 A 'zine' version of Khaled Barakat's op-ed was circulated for download on several channels. Telegram Telegram groups, including Resistance News Network, the Tariq el-Tahrir Youth and Student Network, and United Liberation Front for Palestine, which were identified to The Post by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies as especially extreme channels, have also shared an especially inflammatory op-ed celebrating Rodriguez. The piece is written by Khaled Barakat, an individual identified by the US Department of Treasury as a Specially Designated National for his association with the designated terrorist organization Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Published originally in Arabic in a Lebanese newspaper, the piece has been converted into a 'zine' form that Telegram users are circulating in a printable PDF form. Barakat's message reads: 'Rodriguez's operation represents a cry in the face of the American system, and a message that resistance is … an identity, and an ethical and political stance that allows for no compromise.'
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Consortium of foreign ministers to sanction two Israeli officials
June 10 (UPI) -- A group of five foreign ministers announced jointly Tuesday that they will put punitive measures into effect for a pair of Israeli government officials for allegedly provoking violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. The foreign ministers of Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Canada and the United Kingdom said through a press release that Israel's Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich and Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir "have incited extremist violence and serious abuses of Palestinian human rights." "With today's sanctions, we are sending a clear message that the continued expansion of settlements and acts of extremist settler violence in the West Bank are unacceptable and pose serious obstacles to peace and the realization of a two-state solution," said Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand in a Canadian version of the release. "We resolutely stand with the Israeli and Palestinian peoples and their right to live in peace and security, with dignity and without fear," she added. "Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous. These actions are not acceptable," continued the joint statement. The ministers also pointed at the two for inciting settler violence against Palestinians with "extremist rhetoric" that they purport calls for Palestinians to be pushed out of their homes, and also inspires human rights abuses, and furthermore discards the idea of having two states. "We are steadfastly committed to the two-state solution, which is the only way to guarantee security and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians and ensure long-term stability in the region, but it is imperiled by extremist settler violence and settlement expansion," the ministers said. "The measures announced today do not deviate from our unwavering support for Israel's security," the ministers added, and they still condemn the attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, but is solely targeted at Smotrich and Ben-Gvir. "Today's measures are targeted towards individuals who in our view undermine Israel's own security and its standing in the world," the statement continued. "We continue to want a strong friendship with the people of Israel based on our shared ties, values and commitment to their security and future." The statement concluded with another reminder, that the ministers also recognize the situation in Gaza, and "continue to be appalled by the immense suffering of civilians, including the denial of essential aid." The five ministers concluded with the insistence that Palestinians are not to be removed from two-statehe West Bank, and that they will keep working with Israel to find a ceasefire, to get all hostages home and get humanitarian aid to Gaza, and said "We want to see a reconstructed Gaza no longer run by Hamas and a political pathway to a two state solution." Israel's foreign minister Gideon Saar has since responded to the statement, and said his country's government will meet next week to discuss a response. "It is outrageous that elected representatives and members of the government are subjected to these kind of measures," Mr. Saar said.
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Israeli President Herzog welcomes Argentina's Milei to Jerusalem
Israeli President Isaac Herzog welcomed his Argentine counterpart Javier Milei to Jerusalem for a state visit on Tuesday. At a ceremony, Herzog praised the close ties between the two countries. In his speech, Milei described Israel as a "beacon of freedom" in the fight against terror. According to his office, Herzog said that "in the face of the Iranian threat – a threat to all of humanity – we must stand united and resolute. Israel cannot tolerate an Iran with nuclear weapons." Israel's allies and the world should not tolerate it either, he added. He also praised Milei's commitment to fighting anti-Semitism and terrorism. Milei emphasized that Argentina would continue to stand firmly alongside Israel. He recalled the attacks on the Israeli embassy and a Jewish community centre in Argentina more than three decades ago, as well as the 27 Argentinians killed in the attack by Hamas and other extremist groups on October 7, 2023. Milei called for the unconditional release of the hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip, including four with Argentine citizenship. Herzog thanked Milei for his solidarity, calling him "a true friend of Israel." Both presidents announced plans to further expand bilateral cooperation. Milei, seen as a close ally of Israel, arrived in the country on Monday evening and will remain there until Thursday. On Wednesday, he is scheduled to deliver a speech in the Knesset in Jerusalem.
