By Lily Seltz

Open the menu at Ayat, a Bay Ridge-based Palestinian restaurant slated to expand to the Upper West Side this fall, and you will be met with one phrase written in Arabic, Hebrew, and English: “ DOWN WITH THE OCCUPATION .” Inside the restaurant, olive trees, Palestinian flags, and keffiyeh patterns are the main motifs. Even the takeout bags bear an inscription: “Jewish, Muslim, Christian—whatever your belief is, we are all human, and we love you.”

“I think everything in life should be done with purpose,” owner Abdul Elenani, a lifelong Brooklynite, told the West Side Rag in a recent interview. At Elenani’s restaurants, the “purpose” goes beyond serving food or turning a profit.

“I’m not going to talk about the food. The food speaks for itself,” said Elenani. (Ayat serves

See Full Page