NYC Mayor Mamdani Dines at Palestinian Restaurant Amid Controversy
Mayor Zohran Mamdani was seen dining at Ayat Hinds Hall on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks, a restaurant chain previously criticized for menu content.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani dined at a Palestinian restaurant chain, Ayat Hinds Hall, on the third anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in Israel. The Upper West Side establishment is part of a chain that faced criticism in December 2023 when its menu was described by some critics as “openly genocidal.”
The restaurant chain's sister location in Brooklyn had featured a menu section titled "From the River to the Sea." Owners Abdul Elenani and Ayat Masoud have stated that they do not advocate for the eradication of Israel and that the slogan had been on their menu for months prior to the Oct. 7 attacks. The Anti-Defamation League considers the phrase "From the River to the Sea" to be an antisemitic call for the destruction of the Jewish state.
Elenani previously told The Post that he had been receiving daily death threats since the controversy erupted and that he supports a two-state solution, condemning violence from both sides.
Mamdani's meal took place amid protests where he faced heckling and boos from individuals who accused him of abandoning the Palestinian cause. Protesters chanted, "Zohran you can't hide, we charge you with genocide," and other activists reportedly called him a "boot licker."
The restaurant is named after Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian child killed by Israeli forces in January 2024, and also acknowledges anti-Israel protesters at Columbia University who occupied Hamilton Hall and renamed it "Hind's Hall."
Mamdani's security team intervened to hold back protesters as he left the restaurant on Wednesday night.