Noor Tagouri’s Iftar Centered Community, Connection, and Consciousness

Jamie Pearl

Believers is a series running throughout April, examining different facets of faith and religion among young people.

On a quiet Thursday evening in New York’s Chelsea Market, 40 people gathered in the back room of a cozy restaurant to break their fast. Noor Tagouri, a storyteller and co-founder of the production company At Your Service, and Shadi Afshar from Ahmad Tea gathered members of their community at Eat Offbeat to partake in their fourth annual iftar. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunrise to sundown, which means, in part, no food or water while the sun is up. Throughout the month, Muslims also place an extra emphasis on being charitable. Iftar is the meal that is eaten once the sun finally sets.

Among the group of organizers and artists that mingled at the event were Avantika, Phillip Lim, Joèl Leon, Deana Haggag, Bailey Bass, Noor Elkhaldi, and Zara Rahim. Afshar said that this year's guest list aimed to transcend religion. “Ramadan has always been a community [focused] moment for so many Muslims, but we wanted to show that the aspect of community spans beyond being a Muslim, beyond the parameters of religion. And every year it becomes bigger. We have such an incredible group of people bonded by empathy and humanity.”

As guests entered the event through a discreet side entrance behind Eat Offbeat, they were greeted by a single table as long as the room itself. Tagouri said they chose this location because of what the restaurant stands for. “[It’s] an incredible restaurant and concept that was started by a Syrian woman named Manal [Kahi] and they hire chefs who are immigrants and who have come here as refugees and from all over the world, like every region you can possibly think of. Their values just really aligned with our values.”

The details were meticulous; green and white tablecloths with gold accents adorned the table, with flowers, guests names on place cards, and little bowls of dates to open their fasts spread across the tablescape. Lights and decor borrowed last-minute from neighboring store, Imports from Marrakesh, were strewn about. The spirit of community that allowed last-minute lending is what Tagouri said the night was meant to foster. “It was a quick connection. And sometimes these things don't have to be so serious. It just feels like our culture and our vibe, which is constantly just giving and receiving and not putting so much weight into it.”

This gesture of kindness segued into the dinner itself. As everyone settled into their assigned seats, Tagouri welcomed the room and set the tone of the evening by thanking everyone for their generosity. The guests had donated 140 meals from Eat Offbeat to the Asiya Women’s Shelter and Ahmad Tea matched that donation. Dania Darwish, co-founder of the non-profit shelter that helps Muslim women and children experiencing homelessness and domestic violence, announced they will soon house a woman and her child from Gaza at the center.

This intention of centering the iftar around giving continued in a guided conversation with artist Timothy Goodman and president and co-founder of Pillars Fund, Kashif Shaikh, who was one of the sponsors of the evening. They both spoke about how their relationship toward giving has been reshaped in the midst of the ongoing war in Gaza. “For me, everything has changed,” Shaikh said, feeling that the work he is doing in the Muslim community is more critical than ever. Goodman directly asked the room, “How many people feel you’re doing enough?” He spoke about his interest in doing more to help Palestinians and the need to show up.

Throughout the night, many spoke of Israel’s ongoing incursion of Gaza, where more than 30,000 have been killed since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. The night’s food, prepared by chef Rala Ziadeh from Aleppo, Syria, included traditional Palestinian dishes like maqloubeh on the menu — a dish those in Gaza cannot enjoy during their own iftars this Ramadan. Oxfam International has said famine is imminent in Gaza, adding that “catastrophic levels of hunger and starvation in Gaza are the highest ever recorded.” Many guests at the iftar wore a keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian scarf, or incorporated the keffiyeh’s iconic pattern into their clothing. Tagouri wore a traditional Palestinian thobe.

As dinner wrapped up and a dessert of almond cake and knafeh slowly its way around the table, Syrian American poet and hip hop artist Omar Offendum enchanted the room with a medley of his work in both English and Arabic. Everyone clapped along to the beat while he interspersed personal stories, giving gratitude back to Tagouri and Ziadeh, and again acknowledging the people of Palestine.

As I was leaving the iftar with a full stomach and greater appreciation for my community, I said goodbye to Tagouri’s husband and At Your Service co-founder, Adam Khafif, who asked me if I had connected with anyone new that night. I looked around the room and saw the people I spoke to talking to others in the room, making new connections with bright smiles on their faces. Tagouri said she hoped the event would create a space “where people could just feel safe in the room, where they could allow us to just nourish them with incredible Syrian and Palestinian food, with poetry, with music, with conscious conversation.” I walked away from the night indeed feeling nourished and connected with a newfound community that I didn’t know I needed.

Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue