Bay Area coffee shop closes indefinitely amid lawsuits alleging discrimination against Jewish customers
Jerusalem Coffee House in Oakland, Calif., has closed indefinitely as its owners prepare for a federal trial stemming from three lawsuits alleging that the Palestinian-owned coffee shop discriminated against Jewish customers.
The shop announced the closure in an Aug. 21 Substack post, saying it needed to turn its “full attention” to the legal cases. Its last day of operation was Aug. 23.
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The U.S. Department of Justice failed a lawsuit against the coffee shop, owner Fathi Abdulrahim Harara and its operating company, Native Grounds LLC, in June 2025, alleging violations of Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The lawsuit followed separate federal and state suits filed earlier that year by the Anti-Defamation League and Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff on behalf of Michael Radice, and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law on behalf of Jonathan Hirsch. Radice alleges he was refused service and subjected to antisemitic slurs in June 2024, while Hirsch alleges that he and his 5-year-old son were asked to leave the coffee shop after Harara confronted him about a Star of David on his hat in October 2024.
The federal trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 26. A federal judge denied the defendants’ motion to dismiss the Justice Department lawsuit in September 2025.
In its Aug. 21 post, Jerusalem Coffee House wrote that “these lawsuits represent the ongoing efforts of Zionist organizations and the federal government to use the courts as a tool to repress free speech and public political commitments to Palestine.”
“As joyous as this sprint has been, we’ve been exhausted, unable to truly attend to the concerns we’re facing legally and operationally, to ensure we can keep serving our community to the degree we’d like,” the shop stated. “We’re two months out from trial in federal court, set for Oct. 26, 2026, and we need to turn our full attention there.”
The shop said the closure would give its owners time to prepare for the cases and “ensure the safety of ourselves, our business and, most importantly, our community.” It did not specify when it would reopen.
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Jerusalem Coffee House in Oakland, California, has closed indefinitely as of August 23 to focus on three lawsuits alleging discrimination against Jewish customers. The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in June 2025, alleging violations of Title II of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This followed earlier federal and state suits filed by the Anti-Defamation League and the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law on behalf of Michael Radice and Jonathan Hirsch, respectively. Radice claims he was refused service and subjected to antisemitic slurs in June 2024, while Hirsch alleges he and his son were asked to leave in October 2024 due to a Star of David on his hat. The coffee shop stated that “these lawsuits represent the ongoing efforts of Zionist organizations and the federal government to use the courts as a tool to repress free speech and public political commitments to Palestine.” The federal trial is scheduled for October 26.
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