A Jewish Congressman who has said he supports the existence of the state of Israel was publicly banned by a Brooklyn coffee shop after stopping by for coffee.
Rep. Dan Goldman visited Poetic Coffee Shop with his daughter over the weekend. Later, the coffee shop posted a photo of him on Instagram along with a since-deleted post.
"Hey Congressman Dan Goldman, we see that you stopped by our shop today for a coffee. Do you see how it doesn't taste like genocide juice? Or are you still having a hard time telling the difference?" the post stated, according to the New York Post.
"See, here at Poetica, we don't serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers, or anyone in between. Too bad we didn't recognize you right away, or we would have turned you away. We issued you a refund—we don't need your money (it's probably coming from AIPAC anyways). Enjoy your loss on Tuesday. Don't ever come to Poetica," the post stated according to the New York Post.
Poetic Coffee states on its website that "whoever walks through the door is treated with unconditional dignity."
"In the mahallas of Uzbekistan, hospitality isn't something one person does. It's something the whole neighborhood organizes," the shop's website adds. "The guest is sacred because the act of welcoming is how a community holds itself together."
Goldman told CNN that the staff apparently didn't realize who he was when he visited.
"I had such a nice interaction with the barista in the coffee shop," Goldman told CNN. "She was wearing a hijab, I didn't know her, but she couldn't have been nicer and allowed my daughter to go use the bathroom, and I honestly was so grateful for her kindness that I felt like I should buy a coffee, and so I did, and I gave her a large tip."
The money was later refunded to his account, and the Instagram post went up.
Goldman is locked in a primary battle with former city comptroller Brad Lander, who is supported by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Lander has made Goldman's support of Israel an issue in the race.
"I have many issues with Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu, but simply because I support the existence of Israel as a Jewish state, as the only Jewish state, does not by any means, mean that I support everything that government does," Goldman told CNN. "And in fact I do not and I've been very open about that."
