Overview
- Poetica Coffee posted a branded message that refunded Rep. Dan Goldman’s $9.82 purchase, called him a “genocide enabler,” referenced AIPAC and said “Don’t ever come to Poetica,” after Goldman visited with his daughter on Sunday, June 21.
- The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced on June 22 that it has opened an investigation and said it could bring an enforcement action if the conduct violated public‑accommodation law that bars discrimination on the basis of religion or national origin.
- Goldman said his in‑shop interaction with the barista was pleasant, that he bought the coffee in thanks and tipped generously, and he urged the DOJ to focus resources on less public victims of antisemitism.
- Poetica’s social accounts were deactivated after the post went viral, the shop has faced protests and review campaigns, and reporting surfaced past posts by founder Parviz Mukhamadkulov that sharply criticized Israel.
- The episode comes on the eve of a contested Democratic primary between Goldman and Brad Lander and highlights a larger debate on the left over criticism of Israel, accusations of antisemitism and the legal limits of businesses’ political speech.