NEW YORK — A cafe in Brooklyn said Sunday it has barred US Rep. Dan Goldman as it does not serve “genocide enablers,” after the Jewish lawmaker stopped at the coffee shop.

Poetica Coffee, in the neighborhood of Williamsburg, posted a photo of Goldman on social media, writing: “We see that you stopped by our shop today for a coffee. Do you see how it doesn’t taste like genocide juice?”

“We don’t serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers,” the post said. “Too bad we didn’t recognize you right away, or we would have turned you away.”

The shop said it refunded Goldman’s $9.82 purchase.

“We don’t need your money (it’s probably coming from AIPAC anyways),” the post said, referring to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a major pro-Israel lobbying group. “Don’t ever come to Poetica.”

In a statement, Goldman said he was “sorry to see this post” and explained that he had stopped at the coffee shop because his young daughter needed to use a restroom.

“The barista could not have been nicer to my 7-year-old daughter and me — allowing her to use the bathroom even though we had not purchased anything,” he said. “I made sure to buy a coffee in return for her kindness. I hope you at least make sure she gets the tip that she deserved.”

“Attention New Yorkers — if you support the world’s only Jewish nation’s existence, Poetica Coffee will not serve you,” wrote the StopAntiSemitism activism group in a post to X. “Sounds a bit illegal to us.”

Goldman is a Jewish centrist who supports Israel’s existence, but has also been harshly critical of the Israeli government and the war in Gaza, which was triggered by the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led invasion of southern Israel. Critics have accused Israel of genocide in its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza, an accusation that Jerusalem vehemently denies.

Last year, Goldman said the war was a “humanitarian........

© The Times of Israel