Mayor Zohran Mamdani refused to condemn a Brooklyn coffee shop that publicly banned and smeared Congressman Dan Goldman for his pro-Israel views — a telling silence that exposes how selective the left's commitment to tolerance really is.
When a business refuses service to a Jewish congressman, labels him a "genocide enabler," and suggests his money comes from a pro-Israel lobbying group, you'd expect universal condemnation. Instead, Mamdani offered a mealy-mouthed non-answer, and the political class mostly looked the other way. For ordinary Americans, the message is clear: your rights depend on your politics.
Poetica Coffee in Park Slope posted a photo of Goldman at its register on Facebook alongside a rant: "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?" The shop wrote that it doesn't serve "racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers, or anyone in between," issued Goldman an unsolicited $9.82 refund, and told him: "Don't ever come to Poetica." The post included the song "Fuck You" by Lily Allen, the Daily Caller reported.
Goldman, who is Jewish, told CNN he bought the coffee as a courtesy because the barista — wearing a hijab — had kindly allowed his 7-year-old daughter to use the restroom. "I had such a nice interaction with the barista," Goldman said. "It's a reflection, I think, of a sad state of affairs that without knowing me, we could have had such a nice interaction."
Pressed on whether the shop's actions were acceptable, Mamdani — a staunch critic of Israel — declined to condemn them. "I have many political disagreements with Congressman Goldman when it comes to his votes and his views on Israel," Mamdani said, according to the New York Post. He added only that "what we saw online goes beyond that" — a statement so vague it could mean anything.
The incident lands in the middle of a heated Democratic primary. Goldman faces Brad Lander, the former city comptroller endorsed by Mamdani, in New York's 10th Congressional District. Lander has called Israeli actions in Gaza "genocide" and accused Goldman of being beholden to AIPAC, which has funneled over $377,000 to Goldman this cycle in direct and earmarked donations. Both men are Jewish. Lander told the New York Times there are "plenty of ways to lobby elected officials and express outrage at the votes they've taken without turning coffee shops into places people don't feel welcome" — a statement that somehow equates a business banning a customer with constituents lobbying their representative.
The DOJ's Civil Rights Division has opened an investigation. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon posted on X that "federal law prohibits public accommodations such as coffee shops from discriminating against patrons based on their race, religion, or national origin." Goldman, for his part, said he'd rather the DOJ spend its "time and resources investigating antisemitism against people who do not have a platform that I do."
The Guardian framed the incident with context about Goldman's wealth — he's a Levi Strauss heir worth roughly $253 million — and his attendance at the Israel Day Parade alongside far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, details that serve to soften the image of a Jewish congressman being refused service. The coffee shop deleted its Instagram account after the post went viral.
Here's the open question: if a shop refused service to a Muslim customer over their views on Gaza, would Mamdani still be struggling to find the words?
