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California Cafe Kicks Out Man Wearing ‘Violent’ Star of David Baseball Hat, Owner Asks if He’s a ‘Zionist’ (www.algemeiner.com)
submitted 2 weeks ago by gedaliyah@lemmy.world to c/world@quokk.au
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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.

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[–] ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works 15 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

One drink is called “Iced In Tea Fada,”

That doesn't sound very subtle. I wonder if this guy really did come to the cafe by coincidence or if it was an act of protest. Either way, the proprietor doesn't seem to have a good legal defense...

Edit: The place has an Arabic logo but otherwise it looks like a completely normal Bay Area hipster cafe. (Although I suppose that Bay Area hipster cafes aren't particularly welcoming to people prominently displaying a Star of David.) "Iced In Tea Fada" really is on the menu.

[–] CobblerScholar@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Yeah it's doesn't seem like that was an idle decision to me either

https://oaklandvoices.us/2024/10/28/jerusalem-coffee-house-oakland-palestine/

[–] ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Yeah, it seems like both sides are trying to pick a fight now. I wouldn't go to that coffee shop but I'm not sure how

3,000 nearly identical emails titled, “Coffee and terrorism in Oakland.” ... addressed to County and City electeds

are supposed to help.

Heh, in that article the proprietor claims that

Ice In Tea Fada has been a featured drink on their menu from day one, and was not a response to any one event.

However, Google has photos of an older version of the menu without that drink.

[–] Thcdenton@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago

How the fuck is this world news

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago

Are you a Zionist?” the owner asked.

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

Well it seems like a yes to me. I wouldn't serve a fascist either. Cafe owner is totally in the right here.

[–] Jews4Palestine 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Yeah this guy was 100% trying to start conflict. Good call by the owner.

[–] Crashumbc@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

Yeah, I grew up in one of the largest Jewish communities in the US. I have NEVER seen someone prominently displaying the star on a cap or t-shirt like that...

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 4 points 2 weeks ago

Sigh. For obvious reasons no Arab has good experiences with the Star of David, but still. Sigh.

[–] DavidGarcia@feddit.nl 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Why they kick him out over Hindu symbol, what did we ever do to anyone?

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 1 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Uh... Kicking people over the Buddhist Swastika (which, by the way, is oriented different to the Nazi Swastika) is, indeed, ignorant. Kicking people over a wholly non-political symbol like the Star of David just gives the Palestinian cause a bad look.

[–] sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz 6 points 2 weeks ago

The orientation isn't necessarily different, from what I've read. Just the meaning.

[–] dontgooglefinderscult@lemmings.world 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

The star of David is specifically a Zionist symbol. It was never widely adopted until well into modern Zionism, only becoming a specifically Jewish symbol on the graves of Jewish wwi soldiers. Non-Zionist Jewish groups generally use a menora instead.

It is a political symbol, adopted by an extremist terrorist movement, that later got conflated with all Jews. It's like if the isis flag a hundred years from now became the official symbol of Islam.

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

No matter its historical meaning, which is admittedly less clear than I thought it was (there was definitely non-Zionist use of the symbol but it still appears Zionist popularized it), it's now used as a symbol of Judaism in general. I guess we can call it contested, but either way kicking a guy for wearing one when they didn't otherwise do anything is just a bad look.

[–] dontgooglefinderscult@lemmings.world 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

It certainly was used as a symbol of Judaism in general, until Israel escalated it's genocide and started claiming that all Jews globally must support their genocide or they're not real Jews.

Many Jewish groups, unsurprisingly, fought back against that. Pretty much any Orthodox Jewish community at this point has abandoned the symbol along with the concept of Zionism(since it's not supported by the Torah in any way), with many less religious communities now also joining in. As it turns out it's pretty easy to abandon a symbol that was only adopted a century ago in your multi thousand year old religion.

Anyway, anyone wearing a star of David at this point in Israel's genocide, especially one coloured in blue and white, colours that have nothing todo with the symbol outside the context of a zionist Israel, is a Zionist actively wanting to broadcast their support for Israel and it's actions.

Any restaurant that features themes of the region but isn't itself owned by Zionists would want to ensure no one with, especially a blue and white, star of David is on their premises; the same way a Bavarian grill outside of Germany in the 1940s would desperately not want to accept anyone with a fasces, eagle, or swastika on their clothing entering their property – despite the former two being long time German symbols.

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 2 points 2 weeks ago

Okay I'm way out of my depth here but it sounds correct enough so I'll accept it with a grain of salt and hope someone will correct you if you're wrong. If that someone comes please tag me.

[–] TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com 3 points 2 weeks ago

the star used to be required

now it is forbidden