A Jewish man was kicked out of a cafe in Oakland, California, for wearing a hat with a Star of David on it last week.
In a now-viral video uploaded October 26, Jonathan Hirsch was confronted by the owner of Jerusalem Coffee House, Abdulrahim Harara, arguing that the star on his hat possessed a “violent” connotation, identifying him as a “Zionist.”
Harara and Hirsch had a heated argument, and Hirsch accused the cafe of discrimination.
“You’re being asked to leave. You’re causing a disruption. This is a private business. You’re being asked to leave,” Harara said.
“This gentleman asked me to leave because of my hat,” Hirsch said from behind the camera.
Harara told Hirsch that his hat was violent, asking, “Are you a Zionist?”
Jonathan Hirsch, wearing Star of David hat, kicked out of Jerusalem Coffee House in North Oakland by owner. @oaklandpoliceca investigating whether this was hate crime. 6:30,7:15 p.m. #KTVUPlus pic.twitter.com/lJQL90SiL3
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) October 30, 2024
“I don’t have to identify myself,” Hirsch answered, accusing the owner of discrimination and threatening to sue the cafe.
“I wear this hat all the time,” Hirsch told Fox outlet KTVU, “I mean, I’ve had this hat for years. And it means a lot to me. It’s meant a lot more over the last year.”
Hirsch explained to KTVU that he had only gone into the cafe because his 5-year-old son needed to use the bathroom.
“I wasn’t going out looking for a fight. But when someone comes up to me fighting, I can’t teach my son [that] Jews are these meek people that run and cower,” He said.
Videos showed Oakland Police officers attempting to de-escalate the situation, ultimately asking Hirsch to leave the cafe as anti-Israel protesters began arriving.
The Jerusalem Coffee House
The Jerusalem Coffee House recently made waves on social media for their drinks, seemingly supporting Hamas. The drinks were named “Iced In Tea Fada” and “Sweet Sinwar.”
However, Harara denied that the drink was named after the terrorist leader.
Jeremy Russell, spokesman for the Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area, told KTVU that Saturday’s incident was “one of the most clear-cut cases of anti-Jewish discrimination that I have seen.”