Rep. Dan Goldman was banned from a Brooklyn coffee shop due to his views on Israel. The coffee shop, Poetica Coffee, posted a viral social media post announcing the ban and referencing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Goldman’s Response
Goldman called the ban ‘sad’ and stated that he had a positive interaction with the barista, who allowed his daughter to use the bathroom. He also mentioned that he gave the barista a large tip.
The since-deleted post from Poetica Coffee referenced AIPAC, saying to Goldman, ‘we don’t need your money (it’s probably coming from AIPAC anyways)’. The post also made a comment about ‘genocide juice’, which Goldman found offensive.
Political Context
Goldman is facing a tough primary challenge from former city comptroller Brad Lander, who is backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Lander has referred to Israel’s offensive in Gaza as a genocide, a claim the Israeli government denies.
Goldman accused Lander of using AIPAC as a ‘dog whistle’ and stated that he would ‘refuse to cave into that type of rhetoric and that divisiveness’. Goldman also mentioned that he supports the existence of Israel as a Jewish state, but does not support everything the government does.
Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.
