A Palestinian restaurant chain owner who took flak for his inflammatory “river to the sea” menu header is hosting a free sabbath dinner on Friday partially to thank his Jewish customers for his or her support and to foster community.
Restaurateur Abdul Elenani, 31, owns Ayat, a sequence of popular Palestinian eateries named after his wife, a 34-year-old lawyer, and the daughter of Palestinian immigrants.
The restaurant caused a stir in the wake of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in Israel with its “from the river to the sea” fish options on the menu.
The Anti-Defamation League calls the phrase antisemitic since it implicitly calls for the destruction of the state of Israel and the annihilation of Jews.
Elenani, nevertheless, insists the phrase has a unique interpretation.
“This mantra stands for Palestinians to have equal rights and freedoms in their very own country. On no account does this advocate any sort of violence. It signifies peace, and freedom,” he told Side Dish.
The reason has been added to the recent menus at his latest location in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, which is able to host the free dinner. It’ll soon appear on menus at other Ayat outposts.
Elenani’s controversial messaging led to him being targeted with death threats and, almost as bad, the popular chain was hit with bad reviews. But he has remained firm in trying to control the narrative.
“You may’t come to me and translate my verse,” he said. “You must ask me and I gives you my translation. I’m not going to change it because you would like to change the meaning to feed your story.”
Perhaps surprisingly, he has received strong support from his Jewish customers, he said.
The sabbath dinner is a way for him to show thanks, though he continues to be figuring out details like hiring a kosher caterer.
“I’ve all the time wanted — even before this shabbat dinner concept — to create something that brings Jews and Muslims together under one roof, and there isn’t any higher way than through food,” Elenani said.
The Middle East conflict “shouldn’t impact people here in Recent York. It doesn’t make any sense. It should unite us more and never separate us.”
Elenani, who grew up in Brooklyn, launched the first Ayat restaurant in 2020, during the pandemic. They’re now in the East Village, Ditmas Park, Bay Ridge, Industry City, Staten Island, and Allentown, Pa.
On social media, Elenani and his wife, Ayat Masoud, posted: “In the spirit of togetherness and understanding, we invite all our incredible neighbors, especially our Jewish neighbors, to a heartfelt shabbat dinner at Ayat Restaurant. It’s not nearly breaking bread; it’s about breaking barriers, fostering dialogue, and connecting on a human level…Let’s create an area where differences unite us, where conversations flow freely, and where bonds are forged. Together, let’s weave a tapestry of understanding and compassion that strengthens our beloved community.”
Born in Recent York to Egyptian immigrants, Elenani says the dinner can be a step towards his ultimate restaurant vision of getting each Jews and Arabs eating alongside one another.
“The larger concept I need to roll out is a large warehouse, with a kosher kitchen on one side, a halal kitchen on the other, and communal tables in the middle,” Elenani said. “Everyone would then sit together at the communal tables to discuss life and normal human things that individuals confer with one another.”
The concept is “really needed straight away,” he said. “Everybody goes against one another, and nobody is fascinated about bringing people together. Enough with the negativity! I need to bring opposites together they usually aren’t even opposite. All of us have numerous things in common. The separations are silly, due to politics.”
Elenani also works as a constructing contractor, and owns a farm in central Recent Jersey. But his passion is the restaurant business. Pre-pandemic, Elenani launched Cocoa Grinder, a sequence of coffee shops in Brooklyn, where they roast their very own beans.
Elenani and Massoud are also recent parents. They’ve a 2-month-old daughter.
“She modified the whole lot,” Elenani said. “I’m more soft, less tough — living for one more person, and taking good care of myself in order that I can maintain her.”
Having a baby, Elenani said, “makes you query life and query yourself more. The very first thing I said to myself once I saw her was, ‘Am I a great person?’ How will she judge me? How will the world judge me?”