Hospitality for everyone – except supporters of Israel.
A crunchy coffee shop flamed pro-Israel Rep. Dan Goldman for buying a cup of java at its Brooklyn location and issued him a refund, declaring they don’t serve “genocide enablers.”
Poetica Coffee revealed the unasked-for $9.82 refund in a bitter Facebook post Sunday, with a pic of a hapless Goldman in the Williamsburg shop.
“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, seemingly referring to Goldman’s support of Israel and accusations the nation has committed genocide against Palestinians during the war in Gaza.
“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.”
Goldman faces a tough Democratic primary challenge Tuesday from former city Comptroller Brad Lander.
The post quickly drew condemnation from many Jewish New Yorkers and others who noted it brazenly contradicted the chain’s avowed ethos of hospitality – as outlined in a mission statement on its website under the name of the owner Parviz Mukhamadkulov.
“The guest is sacred because the act of welcoming is how a community keeps itself intact,” the welcoming statement reads.
The shop also claims on its site that “whoever walks through the door is treated with unconditional dignity.
“Not as a customer. Not as a transaction. As someone who arrived and deserves to be welcomed,” the site claims.
Rory Lancman, a Jewish civil rights lawyer and former Queens councilman, zeroed in on the post, conspiratorially referencing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
“There’s nothing poetic in Poetica’s flippant use of ‘AIPAC’ as a slur against a Jewish public official, which like ‘Zionist’ or its more noxious shorthand, ‘Zio,’ is nothing more than a coded dog-whistle for ‘Jew,’” he said.
“Poetica may claim to be a place ‘where the guest is sacred, the books are unbanned, and the door is open to everyone,’ but clearly its guests are merely prey for public abuse, its thirst for banning those with opposing opinions is unslakable, and its doors are closed to Jews who think that the Jewish state shouldn’t just lay down and die.”
Staff at the coffee shop Monday declined to comment.
“No comment. We stand against genocide,” a staffer said.