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2 years after Columbia protests, 'Hinds Hall' opens as Palestinian restaurant near campus
By
Walter Wuthmann
Published Mar 20, 2026
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Walter Wuthmann
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Walter Wuthmann
Published Mar 20, 2026
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Two years ago, dozens of Columbia University students and demonstrators protesting Israel’s war in Gaza entered the school’s Hamilton Hall, barricaded its doors and chained them shut. They draped a banner out a front window that read “Hind’s Hall,” in reference to Hind Rajab, a 5-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza in 2024.
The NYPD forcibly cleared the building and arrested many of those inside at the request of Columbia’s president at the time. But now a new Hind’s Hall is opening just 10 blocks south of campus, in the form of a Palestinian restaurant.
“ I think we owe them a tribute of putting a name they worked so hard to establish within campus about the injustices in Gaza,” said Abdul Elenani, who’s opening Ayat Hinds Hall as part of his Ayat Palestinian restaurant chain.
Ayat Hinds Hall is taking over what was Mama’s Pizza on Amsterdam Avenue near 106th Street. Elenani fitted the restaurant with mahogany doors and painted the facade the color of desert sand. The words “Hinds Hall” are emblazoned across the sides in huge white block letters.
The restaurant’s callback to the high-profile Columbia protest site is already drawing scrutiny far beyond the neighborhood, from social media to the Israeli press.
Elenani said he wants the new restaurant to stand out. “ I feel like we're educating a lot of people when they start Googling who Hind was and what happened to her,” Elenani said.
Hind was fleeing Gaza City in January 2024 when her family’s black Kia came under fire, according to a United Nations report. Audio recordings show the child called for emergency services before the line dropped as the sound of gunfire rang out in the background.
Hind’s body was found in the vehicle a month later. The Israel Defense Forces initially denied involvement. But a United Nations Human Rights Council investigation determined Israel’s army was responsible for killing Hind and her family, as well as shelling the ambulance sent to help them and killing the two paramedics inside.
Hind’s death sparked international condemnation and protests, including at Columbia. A docudrama about her death, “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” received a record-breaking 23-minute standing ovation at the 2025 Venice Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize.
A pro-Palestinian student protester leans out a window of Hamilton Hall on the campus of Columbia University, April 30, 2024
MARY ALTAFFER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Many Jewish New Yorkers, supporters of Israel, and politicians across the political spectrum criticized the Columbia protests as antisemitic. Columbia's then-President Minouche Shafik resigned following widespread condemnation for her handling of the recurring protests.
A Columbia representative did not respond to a request for comment about the restaurant.
Elenani’s social media post last week announcing the opening of Ayat Hinds Hall provoked strong backlash online, with some calling the name inappropriate and vowing never to eat there. But Elenani said he’s unfazed.
“ I would tell those neighbors that if a 5-year-old girl that was shot over 300 times offends you, I have nothing to tell you,” he said.
Elenani said he’s waiting on final permits and aims to open the restaurant within the week. Work at the restaurant appeared nearly finished on a recent visit, with new chairs stacked against the walls and glasses hanging over the service bar.
Elenani said he hopes those concerned about the name come to eat at the new restaurant.
“Food has always been a bridge between cultures,” he said. When you eat someone’s food, “you understand what they're about, you understand what they do, you understand their history, and I feel like that alone just solves half the problem.”
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Walter Wuthmann
Walter Wuthmann is a reporter covering public safety and the legal system.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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