06/25/2026
Two weeks ago, Heretic Coffee Co. received a grant check from The Jewish Federation. After researching the organization, we've determined that their values do not align with ours.
We attempted to address this privately, with multiple calls and emails over two weeks, and have received no response. Because their donations are public record, this is our public response:
Jewish Federation, we ripped up your grant check and it's in the trash. We want none of your blood money.
Our reasons why are listed below.
To be clear about what Jewish Federations is: after October 7, they raised over $900 million in emergency funds, a portion of which went to organizations that directly support IDF soldiers. They platform Israeli influencers who have publicly dehumanized Palestinians.
We are not interested in being funded by, or associated with, any organization that materially supports the military currently bombing Gaza.
The Jewish Federation publishes public annual reports listing both their donors and recipients. As noted, we reached out multiple times over two weeks with phone calls and emails, and received no response. We still don't know why they sent us this check or what their intent was.
What we do know is this: we will not appear as a grantee in their public records without making clear that we rejected this money, and why.
We also want to say this plainly: this is not about Judaism.
There are many voices against what is happening in Gaza who are Jewish, including activists, scholars, and rabbis. Jewish and Palestinian people have stood together in the streets of every major city in the world demanding a ceasefire.
Our issue has never been with a religion or a people. Our issue is with bombs, and organizations with the money that supports them.
Heretic has always been and will ALWAYS be a home for immigrants, refugees, and the displaced.
The Palestinian people are not a political talking point. They are our neighbors, our community, and our family. What is happening to our Palestinian neighbors is a genocidal catastrophe, and we will not be silent about it, and we will not take money from those who enable it.
We know this will cost us, and I believe I speak for all of us here when I say: we do not give a flying f**k.
The social media algorithm is gonna cancel us out, or someone may do an article on this, we will get attacked by defenders of JF. I do not care.
There is no version of Heretic that cashes a check and looks the other way while over 70,000 people — over 20,000 being CHILDREN — have been killed.
Last October, we said that we would rather go broke than to see our community go without food.
We'd now like to add to that: we'd rather go out of business with a clear conscience than a be growing one with blood on our hands.
Thank you for listening.
- josh
