There’s Nothing Poetic About New York’s Poetica Coffee Shops

Poetica Coffee operates seven cafés across Brooklyn and the East Village in New York City, as well as a mobile coffee truck, and all of them need to be boycotted. Founded and owned by a smug bigot, Parviz Mukhamadkulov, they have taken antisemitism to new levels, and they are now even harassing Democrats.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has made his hatred of everything Israel well known. That tone has filtered down through the citizens and has emboldened antisemites to display their own bigotry and hatred.

Because of their tendency to unify over issues even when they know they are blatantly wrong, I have no love for any Democrat. That said, what Poetica coffee did to Rep. Dan Goldman is outrageous, and what they said when they doubled down on their hatred is even worse.

Goldman, who is Jewish, stopped at one of the Poetica coffee shops and asked a barista if his seven-year-old daughter could use the bathroom. The barista obliged him, and out of respect, Goldman purchased a coffee.

Then, in an Instagram post that has since been deleted, which included a surveillance image of the lawmaker standing by the register, the firm informed Goldman that he was not welcome at any of their shops ever again.

“Hey @repdangoldman, we see that you stopped by our shop today for a coffee. Do you see how it doesn’t taste like genocide guide? See, here at Poetica, we don’t serve racists, fascists, homophobes, genocide enablers, or anyone in between. Too bad we didn’t recognize you right away, or we would have turned you away. We issued you a refund; we don’t need your money (it’s probably coming from AIPAC anyway). Enjoy your loss on Tuesday. Don’t ever come back to Poetica.”

AIPAC stands for the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee. It is a major, bipartisan lobbying group in the United States that advocates for pro-Israel policies and seeks to strengthen the alliance between the U.S. and Israel.

Last week, while trying to get his preferred socialist candidates elected, Mamdani called AIPAC “Monsters.”

He added:

"An AIPAC for whom the only thing more frightening than democracy being allowed to run its course is an end to genocide and Netanyahu's wars. I think that it is important that when we ask ourselves how such death and destruction is happening overseas, we also name those who allow it to take place.”

Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, senior rabbi at Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun on the Upper East Side, stated: "He's turning to AIPAC and saying, 'AIPAC desires genocide.' He's saying that I, a supporter of AIPAC, desire genocide."

Mamdani seemed unfazed by the slight against Goldman. In fact, he appeared to accept the antisemitic remarks directed at Goldman without concern. According to the New York Post, Mamdani gave a lukewarm response on Tuesday regarding Poetica Coffee, which publicly criticized Goldman for his pro-Israel views. While campaigning for far-left congressional candidates, Mamdani was questioned by a reporter about the café's statement, which categorized Goldman alongside "racists, fascists, and homophobes" and claimed they would refuse to serve him due to his support for Israel.

“I have many political disagreements with Congressman Goldman when it comes to his votes and his views on Israel.”

Someone needs to inform the bigoted mayor that he may think that his statement avoided the question, but it didn’t. His avoidance of criticism of the treatment Goldman received spoke volumes about his views on antisemitism.

NBC New York reported that Harmeet Dillon, a DOJ assistant attorney general, posted Monday on X:

“The [DOJ Civil Rights Division] is aware of the denial of service taunts to @danielgoldman by Poetica Coffee in Brooklyn. Federal law prohibits public accommodations such as coffee shops from discriminating against patrons based on their race, religion, or national origin.”

Goldman, in an interview with CNN, tried to feign being gracious by saying he would rather the Justice Department focus its efforts on “investigating antisemitism against people who do not have a platform that I do.”

Although well-intentioned, the coverage this is receiving is largely due to Goldman being a Democrat. If a Republican representative experienced the same situation, it would likely go unnoticed.

Antisemitism should be condemned by both parties; unfortunately, many Democrats tend to ignore it until it becomes a personal issue. Now that Poetica has revealed its far-left biases, which are often associated with the Democratic Party, it presents an opportunity for them to address this issue. The timing is ideal for a boycott against Poetica.

Folks, there are a ton of places to get coffee in New York. Take a stand against this type of loathing and avoid these miserable coffee hellholes. Poetica is spreading hate; don’t support it by being one of their paying pawns.

Milt spent thirty years as a sales and operations manager for an international manufacturing company. He is also a four-time published author on a variety of subjects. Now, he spends most of his time researching and writing about conservative politics and liberal folly.