Federal prosecutors have filed a civil rights lawsuit against an Oakland coffee house for systematic discrimination against Jewish customers.

Jerusalem Coffee House on Telegraph Avenue and its owners, Fathi Abdulrahim Harara and Native Grounds LLC, refused service to customers wearing Jewish symbols and created a hostile environment for Jewish patrons, according to court documents filed on Monday. In the most widely reported confrontation, a Jewish customer was at the cafe with his five-year-old son when owner Abdulrahim Harara, who is of Palestinian heritage, told the customer to “get out of my business” after spotting his Star of David hat.

“You can’t refuse service for a protected class,” the customer says in the heated confrontation. “Yes I can,” Harara says. “Are you a Zionist? Leave!”

During another incident, an employee told a Jewish customer who was trying to make a purchase, ” You’re the Jew. You’re the Zionist. We don’t want you in our coffee shop. Get out.”

“It is illegal, intolerable, and reprehensible for any American business open to the public to refuse to serve Jewish customers,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

Beyond ejecting customers, prosecutors describe a broader pattern of antisemitic behavior by the establishment, citing the coffee house’s public promotion of drinks named “Iced In Tea Fada” and “Sweet Sinwar” on the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel.

“No one should have to hide who they are to order a cup of coffee, but at Jerusalem Coffee House, antisemitism was literally on the menu,” said Marc Levine, Regional Director for ADL Central Pacific. “Bigotry against Jews is on the rise, but we will not be turned away – this behavior cannot be tolerated anywhere.”

Prosecutors are seeking to stop the cafe from engaging in discriminatory practices and requesting unspecified remedial measures. Both customers have also filed separate civil suits against the coffee house in state court seeking damages.

Video Credit: Instagram/The Jewish News of Southern Califonia