California Cafe Kicks Out Man Wearing ‘Violent’ Star of David Baseball Hat, Owner Asks if He’s a ‘Zionist’

A cafe owner in Oakland, California kicked out a man for wearing a Star of David emblazoned on his baseball hat this past weekend, arguing that the religious symbol possesses a “violent” connotation and identifies him as a “Zionist.”

In a video posted on social media, Jonathan Hirsch, who is Jewish, was angrily confronted and asked to leave the Jerusalem Coffee House on the afternoon of Oct. 26 because of his hat. Hirsch and the cafe owner, Abdulrahim Harara, engaged in a heated exchange of words, in which the Jewish man accused the venue of practicing unlawful discrimination.

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

“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.

“This is a violent hat and you need to leave,” the owner added.

“My hat is violent?” Hirsch asked.

“Yes,” Harara responded.

“You can’t ask me to leave because of my religion,” Hirsch then said.

“Are you a Zionist?” the owner asked.

“I don’t have to identify myself,” Hirsch answered.

“Get out!” Harara ordered.

Hirsch accused the owner of discriminating against him based on his “protected class” and threatened to issue a lawsuit against the venue. The owner then pulled out his phone and threatened to call the police on Hirsch if he did not vacate the premises. 

In an interview with local Fox outlet KTVU, Kirsch explained that he regularly wears his hat with the Star of David on it.

“I wear this hat all the time. 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,” he said, explaining that he and his 5-year-old son went to the the cafe because his child needed to go to the bathroom and his wife wanted a coffee.

“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,” Hirsch told KTVU.

Videos showed Oakland Police Department officers later arriving at the scene and attempting to de-escalate the situation. They recommended that Hirsch leave when anti-Israel protesters started arriving.

The department is reportedly still investigating and has not determined whether the incident was a hate crime.

The Jerusalem Coffee House, which celebrates Palestinian culture, has previously raised eyebrows for offering two drinks that seemingly hint at support for the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas and violence against Israel. One drink is called “Iced In Tea Fada,” a reference to extended periods of Palestinian terrorism perpetrated against Israel known as “intifadas,” or violent uprisings.

The other drink is called is called the “Sweet Sinwar.” Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by Israeli forces earlier this month, was the leader of Hamas and architect of the terrorist group’s massacre across southern Israel last Oct. 7. However, Harara denied that the drink was named after the terrorist leader.

 The cafe also reportedly displays on its menu inverted red triangles, a symbol used by Hamas to mark Israeli targets.

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.”

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