Brooklyn Coffee Shop’s Controversial Post About Rep. Goldman

CNN

By Nomaan Merchant, CNN

(CNN) – Rep. Dan Goldman expressed disappointment that a coffee shop in Brooklyn has reportedly banned him following a viral social media post during a contentious Democratic primary election focused on the Israel-Gaza conflict.

In an interview with CNN’s Laura Coates on Monday, Goldman shared his thoughts on the situation at Poetica Coffee, which posted a photo of him along with a receipt for a refund on its social media account over the weekend. This post gained significant attention before Poetica Coffee deleted its Instagram page.

“I had such a nice interaction with the barista in the coffee shop,” Goldman recalled. “She was wearing a hijab, I didn’t know her, but she couldn’t have been nicer and allowed my daughter to go use the bathroom, and I honestly was so grateful for her kindness that I felt like I should buy a coffee, and so I did, and I gave her a large tip.”

“It’s really unfortunate that without knowing me personally, we could have had such an enjoyable moment,” Goldman added.

The now-removed post from Poetica Coffee mentioned AIPAC and told Goldman, “we don’t need your money (it’s probably coming from AIPAC anyways).”

“Hey Congressman Dan Goldman, we see that you stopped by our shop today for a coffee,” read the deleted message. “Do you see how it doesn’t taste like genocide juice? Or are you still having a hard time telling the difference?”

CNN has reached out to Poetica Coffee for comment.

Goldman is up against former city comptroller Brad Lander in Tuesday’s primary race, who is supported by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and has criticized Goldman’s previous ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Lander has labeled Israel’s actions in Gaza after Hamas’ October 7 attacks as genocide-a claim denied by the Israeli government-and accused Goldman of being under AIPAC’s influence.

On October 7 alone, approximately 1,200 individuals were killed and over 250 others taken hostage by Hamas. Since then, more than 70,000 people have died in Gaza as conflict escalated following those attacks.

During Monday’s conversation, Goldman alleged that Lander was using AIPAC “as a dog whistle” and stated he would not give in to such rhetoric or division.

“I have many issues with Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu,” he said. “But just because I support Israel as a Jewish state does not mean that I agree with everything this government does.” He further emphasized his openness about his disagreements.

Lander also made comments to The New York Times condemning the coffee shop’s remarks.

“There are plenty of ways to lobby elected officials and express outrage at their votes without making coffee shops feel unwelcoming,” Lander stated.

Goldman also addressed Harmeet Dhillon’s announcement regarding an investigation into Poetica Coffee by the Justice Department’s civil rights division.

“I’d prefer they allocate their resources toward investigating antisemitism directed at people who lack my platform-those who aren’t public figures or don’t seek this type of attention,” he noted. “While I don’t welcome antisemitism either way, I’m in public life and can handle criticism.”

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