Owner Abdul Elenani hosted a Shabbat dinner to foster dialogue and thank those who stood by him. Fluffy pita was piled next to enormous loaves of challah bread, a traditional Jewish Shabbat dinner staple. Over 1,300 people showed up to Ayat's free community Shabbat dinner. A range of perspectivesAyat's Shabbat dinner attracted people from various backgrounds and perspectives who may not normally have shared a meal together. If Ayat's packed Shabbat dinner is any indication, people are hungry for such spaces now more than ever.

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Persons: Abdul Elenani, —, pita, Ayat, Talia Lakritz, Yousef Munayyer, Elenani, we're, it's, I'm, Masoud, Paula Rackoff, Myriam Marques, Abby Stein, Ellen Lippmann Organizations: Service, Defamation League, Facebook, New York Post, Physicians for Human Rights, Racial, Economic Locations: Palestinian, NYC, Israel, Ditmas, New York City, Palestine