Brooklyn Coffee Shop Bans Rep. Dan Goldman Over Israel Views

A Brooklyn coffee shop announced on social media that it was banning Rep. Dan Goldman over his views on Israel, Cnn reported. Some of Goldman’s Jewish colleagues in Congress wanted Democratic leadership to address the ban, but House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries remained silent.

On Wednesday, 103 Democrats voted to block billions of foreign aid to Israel on a measure sponsored by a Republican. Republicans and other Democrats defeated the measure. Jeffries, Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, and Minority Whip Katherine Clark split their votes, with Clark supporting the measure.

Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz said leadership was avoiding discussion of antisemitism on the left ahead of elections. Goldman told Cnn it was noticeable how few people publicly spoke out in response to the coffee shop ban.

Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Greg Casar said nothing would be the same on the issue after the vote. Sen. John Fetterman told Cnn’s Manu Raju that anti-Israel policy was his red line and that he would leave the Democratic Party if it became officially anti-Israel.

The day before the vote, Jeffries told colleagues in a closed-door meeting that Democrats had to run toward the issue rather than away from it and respect everyone’s perspective while moving forward as a team. Jeffries later stated that the party’s approach would be broadly inclusive and that he believes in Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state while demanding accountability and supporting Gaza reconstruction, humanitarian aid, and an independent Palestinian state.

Democratic Rep.

Steve Cohen, who came to Congress in 2007 and was among the first to align with J Street, decided at age 77 not to run for re-election and left the Progressive Caucus last year. He was one of 22 Democrats to censure Rep. ” Democratic Rep.