DOJ Investigating New York Coffee Chain After Ban of Pro-Israel Congressman

A Poetica Coffee location in Manhattan in 2023. New York-based Poetica is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice after a social media post saying the company would refuse service to Rep. Dan Goldman. “Poetica Coffee storefront, St. Mark’s Place / 2nd Ave, Manhattan” photo by Eden, Janine and Jim via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a civil rights investigation into New York-based independent coffee shop chain Poetica Coffee after the company took to social media to refuse future service to Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.).

In a since-deleted social media post on Sunday, Poetica shared a picture of Goldman, who is Jewish and widely described as pro-Israel, at one of its locations and said the shop would have turned him away had staff recognized him, while issuing a refund.

In the post, Poetica wrote: “Do you see how it doesn’t taste like genocide juice? Or are you still having a hard time telling the difference? See, here at Poetica, we don’t serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers, or anyone in between.”

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon announced the probe on X Monday. “Federal law prohibits public accommodations such as coffee shops from discriminating against patrons based on their race, religion, or national origin,” she wrote, adding that the Civil Rights Division “will bring an enforcement action if warranted.”

Yelp appeared to have temporarily disabled reviews for Poetica listings under its public-attention review policy, which is designed to limit reviews not based on firsthand customer experience. Poetica also shared what it said were death threats received through Instagram before its account appeared to be deactivated.

Poetica describes itself as an independent group of New York cafes, with the original opened by Uzbek immigrant Parviz Mukhamadkulov on Smith Street in Brooklyn in 2020. The company’s website lists seven locations across Brooklyn, the East Village and other neighborhoods. 

On its website, the chain says it is built around the Uzbek concept of mehmon — the sacred guest — and has partnered with local organizations on refugee resettlement and employment. The company’s tagline reads “radical hospitality.”

Goldman is facing a June 23 Democratic primary challenge from former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in a race shaped in part by Democratic divisions over Israel and Gaza.

The case echoes a similar public-accommodations lawsuit filed by the DOJ in June 2025 against Jerusalem Coffee House in North Oakland and owner Fathi Abdulrahim Harara. The DOJ alleged that Jewish customers wearing baseball caps with Stars of David were ordered to leave the shop on multiple occasions. That case was among the early public-accommodations enforcement actions announced by Dhillon after her appointment to lead the Civil Rights Division under the Trump administration.

Jerusalem Coffee House’s attorney has characterized that case as a political effort to silence pro-Palestinian voices, a charge Dhillon rejected. The case remained active after a judge denied the defendants’ motion to dismiss in September 2025.

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