Discovery Sanctions Recommended in "Are You a Jew? … Are You a Zionist?" Case
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Anti-Semitism
Discovery Sanctions Recommended in "Are You a Jew? … Are You a Zionist?" Case
Eugene Volokh | 10.30.2026 11:58 AM
The factual allegations, from a Sept. 2025 decision in the case by Judge Susan Illston (N.D. Cal.) (the case is Radice v. Jerusalem Boxing Club, LLC consolidated with the federal government's U.S. v. Harara):
The Jerusalem Coffee House [which Harara owns] is a business establishment open to the general public. The coffee house is located on the premises of the East Bay Community Space, "which regularly hosts events that are open to the general public for exhibition or entertainment …."
According to the complaint, on June 10, 2024, Michael Radice—who is Jewish—went to the East Bay Community Space "for the purpose of viewing the establishment for a fundraising event for his organization." Radice was wearing a dark blue baseball cap with a light blue Star of David and white Hebrew lettering. As he approached the community space from the side where the coffee house is located, a man sitting at a table in front of the coffee house asked, "Are you a Jew?" Radice answered in the affirmative. The man then asked, "Are you a Zionist?" Radice declined to respond.
The complaint alleges that "[t]he man then began shouting numerous accusations at Mr. Radice, including that he was complicit in Israel's military actions in the Gaza Strip following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and guilty of 'killing children.'" As Radice began to walk away, the man stood up and asked, "Where are you going?" The complaint alleges, "Mr. Radice saw another man, whom he later learned was Harara, walk out of the coffee house and speak to the man, and the two went inside." …
On August 3, 2024, Radice returned to the East Bay Community Space to attend the fundraiser for his organization. Before doing so, "he entered the coffee shop to purchase a cookie, which he hoped would be seen as a sign of goodwill." He was not wearing the baseball cap he had worn previously. Behind the counter were Harara, the man Radice had previously encountered, and a third employee. Before Radice could place his order, the man from the prior encounter stated, "You're the guy with the hat. You're the Jew. You're the Zionist. We don't want you in our coffee shop. Get out."
And now from Judge Thomas Hixson's Report and Recommendation yesterday:
There is no dispute that Defendant Abdulrahim Harara violated at least six discovery orders. Motion at 4-7 ("Harara has flouted at least six discovery orders," and enumerating the violations); Opp. at 7 ("But the question........
