Jewish journalist sues bar for refusing to serve him

A Jewish journalist in New York is suing a bar after he was allegedly berated by a bartender who refused to serve him and harassed him into leaving the establishment due to his Zionist views, according to a new lawsuit.

Elad Eliahu, 29, was reportedly on a first date last month with a woman at Swell Dive in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn when bartender Alvin Dan “deliberately” mispronounced his name before allegedly telling him to leave while calling him a "Zionist fascist."

According to the Brooklyn Supreme Court lawsuit Eliahu filed, the journalist is a “proud Jewish-American,” Zionist and independent reporter. The claim goes on to say that Dan yelled at Eliahu for “[harrassing] abortion patients” and then continued to torment Eliahu after he left the bar, even filming himself walking down the street.

The suit charged that Eliahu “was unlawfully ridiculed, discriminated against, denied service and kicked out of the Swell Dive on account of his race, national origin and creed because he identifies as a Zionist." 

on Sunday evening I was threatened and harassed out of @swelldive in bedstuy. i encourage you to leave a respectful review of the bar to express your displeasure with their bartender. ty https://t.co/klxhezc20k

— Elad Eliahu (@elaadeliahu) April 11, 2023

Eliahu's lawyers say the lawsuit shines a light on antisemitic behavior and calls on the New York State Liquor Authority to open an investigation to determine if the liquor license for the bar should be revoked.

Who is journalist Elad Eliahu?

Eliahu, a conservative journalist who resides on Long Island, made headlines in 2021 when he was kicked out of a Turning Point USA conference after bombarding acquitted Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse with questions. He has more than 22,000 followers on Twitter and posted a video of the bar incident there.

In a tweet on April 11 he wrote: "Interesting how far-left activists will accuse me of doxxing them while actively trying to dox my cameraman, libel me online, and scream about where I live when they see me at protests. So much for stochastic terrorism or something."