>>> TONIGHT, NEW YORK'S ONLY UKRAINIAN CITY COUNCIL MEMBER SPEAKS OUT AGAINST VLADIMIR PUTIN.

PLUS, ONE OF THE CITY'S LONGEST-RUNNING CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS TACKLES THE STAGGERING SURGE IN ANTI-SEMITISM HEAD ON.

"METROFOCUS" STARTS RIGHT NOW.

♪♪ >>> THIS IS "METROFOCUS," WITH RAFAEL PI ROMAN, JACK FORD AND JENNA FLANAGAN.

>>> "METROFOCUS" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY -- SUE AND EDGAR WACHENHEIM III, SYLVIA A.

AND SIMON B. POYTA PROGRAMING ENDOWMENT TO FIGHT ANTI-SEMITISM, THE PETER G. PETERSON AND JOAN GANZ COONEY FUND, BERNARD AND DENISE SCHWARTZ, BARBARA HOPE ZUCKERBERG, THE AMBROSE MONELL FOUNDATION.

AND BY -- >>> GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO "METROFOCUS," I'M RAFAEL PI ROMAN.

THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE HAS SENT SHOCKWAVES THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

DEMOCRATIC NATIONS AND INTERNATIONAL CORPORATIONS ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO PUNISH RUSSIA ECONOMICALLY FOR ITS ILLEGAL ACTIONS, BUT IT'S UNCLEAR AT THE MOMENT IF THAT WILL BE ENOUGH TO STOP VLADIMIR PUTIN'S AMBITIONS.

THE INVASION TOOK CENTER STAGE THIS WEEK AT NEW YORK'S STATE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION, AS MEMBERS OF THE NEW YORK GOP FIRMLY BACKED UKRAINE, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME, LAYING OUT THEIR VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF THE PARTY IN NEW YORK AND EXPRESSING THEIR LOYALTIES TO DONALD TRUMP.

COUNCIL MEMBER INNA VERNIKOV, THE ONLY UKRAINIAN MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL, SPOKE AT THE GOP CONVENTION IN LONG ISLAND.

SHE JOINS US NOW TO DISCUSS THE ONGOING SITUATION IN UKRAINE AND THE PROSPECTS FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IN NEW YORK STATE.

COUNCIL MEMBER, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY.

IT'S A PLEASURE TO HAVE YOU HERE WITH US, EVEN UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME.

>> SO, LET ME START, IF I MAY, WITH YOU, YOUR BACKGROUND.

YOU LIVED IN UKRAINE WHILE IT WAS STILL UNDER SOVIET RULE UNTIL YOU WERE 12 YEARS OLD, AT WHICH POINT, YOU AND YOUR FAMILY MOVED TO THE UNITED STATES.

I WONDER, WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER FROM YOUR TIME THERE AND WHY DID YOUR FAMILY COME TO THE U.S.?

>> SURE, SO, YEAH, I WAS BORN IN THE SOVIET UNION, WHEN IT WAS STILL THE SOVIET UNION.

YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER A DIFFICULT LIFE.

I REMEMBER STANDING IN VERY LONG LINES WITH MY GRANDFATHER, JUST TO BUY MILK AND BREAD FOR THE FAMILY, FOOD WAS RATIONED.

WE COULD ONLY GET -- WE WOULD GET A TICKET PER FAMILY FOR ONE LOAF OF BREAD, FOR ONE BOTTLE OF MILK, FOR ONE BARREL OF WATER.

SO, IT WAS DIFFICULT.

THERE WAS NOTHING ON THE SHELVES.

IF YOU WOULD GO INTO A STORE, YOU WOULDN'T SEE A WALMART, YOU WOULD SEE, JUST EMPTY SHELVES WITH A COUPLE OF ITEMS.

THERE WAS NOT MUCH CHOICE.

IT WAS HARD TO GET.

PEOPLE WOULD SAVE FOOD.

THERE WAS OFTEN NOT ANY HOT WATER.

YOU'D HAVE TO BOIL WATER TO TAKE A SHOWER.

AND I REMEMBER ALL THESE THINGS AND I REMEMBER, YOU KNOW, ANTI-SEMITISM, EVEN THOUGH I PERSONALLY DIDN'T EXPERIENCE IT, I REMEMBER MY FAMILY MEMBERS EXPERIENCING IT, I REMEMBER MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY TALKING ABOUT IT, I REMEMBER MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY HAVING TO MOVE TO OTHER LOCATIONS TO GO TO SCHOOL BECAUSE THEY WERE JEWISH, SO, IT WAS JUST A DIFFICULT LIFE.

BY THE TIME WE IMMIGRATED, IT WAS ALREADY UKRAINE, IT WAS ALREADY SOVEREIGN UKRAINE.

IN SCHOOLS, THEY HAD ALREADY CHANGED THE LANGUAGE TO UKRAINIAN, BECAUSE EVERYBODY SPOKE RUSSIAN BEFORE, THAT WAS THE LANGUAGE OF THE NATION, OF THE SOVIET UNION, SO, THINGS WERE DEFINITELY GETTING BETTER BY THE TIME WE MOVED HERE, BUT IT WAS STILL, YOU KNOW, IT WAS KIND OF THE COUNTRY THAT WAS STILL REELING FROM THE SOVIET UNION.

>> SO, I KNOW THAT YOU DON'T HAVE FAMILY IN UKRAINE ANYMORE, BUT YOU DO HAVE SOME FRIENDS THERE AND OBVIOUS YOU REPRESENT SOUTH BROOKLYN WITH MANY OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS ARE UKRAINIANS, THE LARGEST POPULATION OF UKRAINIANS IN THE COUNTRY ARE IN THE CITY.

WHAT ARE YOUR CONSTITUENTS TELLING YOU IS THE REALITY ON THE GROUND?

WHAT ARE THEY EXPERIENCING, THEIR FRIENDS AND FAMILY?

>> SO, FIRST OF ALL, EVERYBODY'S HORRIFIED BY WHAT'S GOING ON IN UKRAINE.

A LOT OF MY CONSTITUENTS CAME HERE A VERY LONG TIME AGO, WE'RE TALKING 30, 35 YEARS AGO.

THERE WERE A COUPLE OF IMMIGRATION WAVES FROM THE FORMER SOVIET UNION AND A LOT OF THEM DON'T HAVE ANY FAMILY LEFT IN THE UKRAINE OR RUSSIA, SO, THEY'VE ALL KIND OF IMMIGRATED TO EITHER AMERICA OR GERMANY OR ISRAEL, BUT I DO HAVE FRIENDS AND FORMER CLASSMATES OF MINE WHO ARE STILL IN THE UKRAINE, IN MY TOWN WHERE I WAS BORN, IN WESTERN UKRAINE.

THAT TOWN IS CURRENTLY, THANKFULLY, NOT BEING BOMBED AT THIS TIME.

AND SO, I'VE BEEN TALKING TO -- TO THEM A LOT IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS AND WHAT THEY'RE SEEING IS -- AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS BASICALLY SETTLING REFUGEES THAT ARE ABLE TO ESCAPE FROM THE DANGER ZONES IN UKRAINE AND THEY ARE JUST SETTING UP REFUGEE CAMPS, TENTS, MEDICAL SUPPLIES, JUST GETTING PEOPLE SHELTER, BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE ARE JUST COMING IN AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST A VERY, VERY DIFFICULT AND BUSY AND STRESSFUL TIME FOR THEM, AS WELL.

>> YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE JUST WONDERING WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED HERE, WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?

AND SOME EXPERTS LIKE FORMER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ROBERT GATES AND CONDOLEEZZA RICE ARE SAYING, THEY KNOW PUTIN, THEY WORKED WITH HIM IN THE PAST AND THEY SAY THERE'S SOMETHING EVIDENTLY WRONG WITH HIS MIND OR WITH HIM PHYSICALLY, THAT THIS IS NOT THE GUY THEY USED TO WORK WITH.

DO YOU BUY THAT?

DO YOU BUY THAT THIS IS ALL THE RESULT OF PUTIN GOING OFF THE RAILS, AS GATES SAID?

>> YEAH, I MEAN, LOOK, I GREW UP KIND OF UNDERSTANDING PUTIN AND WHAT HE'S LIKE AND WHAT A DICTATOR IS AN A TYRANT, BUT I THINK -- IT'S SAFE TO SAY THAT NOBODY HAS SEEN THIS YET FROM HIM.

I MEAN, HE'S COMMITTING WAR CRIMES AND HE'S ESSENTIALLY COMMITTING A GENOCIDE AGAINST THE UKRAINIAN PEOPLE.

AND I -- I'M NOT A PSYCHOLOGIST, I'M NOT AN EXPERT, BUT I DO THINK THAT SOMETHING HAS GONE REALLY WRONG WITH HIS MIND.

I THINK HE'S LOST IT.

I THINK HE'S MAD, I THINK HE'S TRYING TO TAKE OVER, I THINK HE WANTS THE SOVIET UNION BACK.

I THINK HE'S POWER HUNGRY.

I THINK HE'S ANGRY.

YOU KNOW, I THINK THE NOTION THAT UKRAINE, THAT RUSSIA HAS LEGITIMATE SECURITY CONCERNS, THAT UKRAINE WAS GOING TO BOMB THEM, THAT UKRAINE WAS GOING TO ATTACK THEM -- I DON'T SEE THAT AS LEGITIMATE.

YOU KNOW, RUSSIA IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD, THEY HAVE THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPONS TO DEFEND THEMSELVES, I DON'T SEE THAT BEING A LEGITIMATE CONCERN.

AND I THINK HE'S JUST TRYING TO TAKE OVER AS MUCH AS HE CAN.

>> WELL, IT'S SCARY, IF IT IS, IN FACT, MENTAL DISABILITY, THEN THAT'S VERY SCARY.

BUT YOU KNOW, YOU TALKED ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE, OR YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF ANTI-SEMITISM IN UKRAINE AS YOU GREW UP, AND IT HAS STRUCK ME THAT THE DENAZIFICATION THAT -- WHEN THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF IS A JEWISH PERSON WHO LOST FAMILY IN THE HOLOCAUST.

HOW DO YOU REACT WHEN YOU HEARD THAT?

>> LOOK, THERE'S A LOT OF PROPAGANDA GOING AROUND, I MEAN, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THERE.

RUSSIAN-SPONSORED, RUSSIAN STATE TV.

WE ACTUALLY HAVE IT HERE, EVERYBODY RIGHT NOW IS CANCELING RUSSIAN-SPONSORED TV, EVERYBODY IS CANCELING ANYTHING THAT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE WORLD RUSSIAN IN IT, AND THERE IS SO MUCH PROPAGANDA AND UNFORTUNATELY, SOME PEOPLE ARE BUYING INTO IT, AND THE IDEA THAT, YOU KNOW, THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE, WHO HIMSELF IS JEWISH, WHO HAS HAD MEMBERS OF HIS FAMILY KILLED DURING THE WAR, WHO, HIS FAMILY FOUGHT IN THE WAR, AGAINST THE NAZIS, IS A NAZI.

IT'S PROPAGANDA.

HE'S JUST DOING THIS TO CREATE A JUSTIFICATION FOR THIS WAR.

ALL THIS PROPAGANDA IS JUST A PRETEXT FOR, OH, YES, WE'RE JUSTIFIED TO GO INTO UKRAINE AND BOMB CIVILIANS, I MEAN, IT'S OUTRAGEOUS.

IT'S RIDICULOUS.

>> WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE ECONOMIC SANCTIONS BY PRESIDENT BIDEN AND THE EUROPEAN NATIONS AND SOME OTHER DEVELOPED NATIONS AROUND THE WORLD.

AND THE ARMAMENT THAT THE UNITED STATES AND GERMANY IS SENDING TO THE UKRAINE.

DO YOU THINK THAT'S ENOUGH?

>> I THINK THAT UNFORTUNATELY IT'S TOO LITTLE TOO LATE.

IT'S NICE TO SEE THE SUPPORT COMING FROM ALL THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD, THE SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE, THE WILLINGNESS TO SANCTION RUSSIA, BUT WHY HASN'T THIS BEEN DONE BEFORE?

CONGRESS HAS BEEN ENCOURAGING THE PRESIDENT TO SANCTION RUSSIA A MONTH AGO.

I FEEL THAT IF IT WAS DONE EARLIER, THEN WE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN THIS SITUATION TO BEGIN WITH.

I JUST THINK IT'S TOO LATE.

I DON'T THINK THAT PUTIN AT THIS POINT CARES ABOUT SANCTIONS.

>> EVEN IF THEY DRY HIM UP ECONOMICALLY?

>> I THINK THAT IF IT IS WHAT WE THINK, WHICH IS THAT HE'S GONE COMPLETELY MAD, I DON'T THINK HE'LL CARE.

>> DOESN'T MATTER.

RIGHT.

BRINGING IT CLOSER TO HOME, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON GOVERNOR HOCHUL'S EXECUTIVE ORDER TO SEIZE BUSINESS INVESTMENTS WITH RUSSIAN ENTITIES IN NEW YORK?

>> LOOK, I THINK WE HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING WE POSSIBLY CAN TO PUT THE MOST POSSIBLE RUSSIA ON RIGHT NOW.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT IMPACT IT'S GOING TO HAVE IN THE END, BUT EVERYTHING WE SHOULD DO, WE SHOULD BE DOING.

AND WE ARE COORDINATING EFFORTS TO SEND AID TO UKRAINE.

I'VE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH MEMBERS, WITH UNITED STATES CITIZENS WHO ARE VOLUNTEERING AND BUILDING REFUGEE CAMPS, HELPING THEM WITH AID AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES, TRYING TO GET SUPPLIES INTO THE TERRITORIES.

SO, WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN IN OUR PART AND I THINK ANY EFFORT TO PUT THE MOST PRESSURE ON RUSSIA RIGHT NOW IS WELCOME.

>> SO, AS I SAID IN THE SBRO DUST, NEW YORK STATE REPUBLICANS JUST HAD THEIR CONVENTION, YOU WERE A PROMINENT SPEAKER IN IT, AT ONE MOMENT.

AND THE TOPIC OF UKRAINE WAS A MAJOR THEME, OF COURSE.

WHAT IS YOUR PARTY'S MESSAGE ON THE SITUATION IN UKRAINE?

>> WELL, I AM VERY PROUD THAT MY PARTY SUPPORTS UKRAINE, SUPPORTS DEMOCRACY, THAT'S WHAT REPUBLICANS -- THAT'S WHY I'M PART OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, BECAUSE WE SUPPORT FREEDOM, WE STAND FOR FREEDOM, INDEPENDENCE, OPPORTUNITY, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, DEMOCRACY, FREEDOM OF CHOICE, FREEDOM OF RELIGION, THESE ARE ALL THINGS THAT UKRAINIANS WANT, AND THESE ARE THINGS THAT UKRAINIANS ARE FIGHTING FOR, AND THIS IS WHAT THEY WANT A SOVEREIGN UKRAINE.

THEY DON'T WANT TO BE DEPENDENT ON ANYONE.

THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO BE PART OF NATO.

SO, I THINK THAT IT RESONATES WITH REPUBLICANS AND I'M PROUD TO BE PART OF THE PARTY THAT SUPPORTS THAT MESSAGING.

>> WELL, THAT'S CLEARLY A PREDOMINANT MESSAGE OF THE REPUBLICANS AND IT HAS BEEN, BUT AS YOU KNOW, THERE'S A SECTION WITHIN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, ELECTED OFFICIALS, REPUBLICAN COMMENTATORS ON TV, WHO DON'T TAKE THAT POSITION, WHO HAVE BEEN SAYING, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT IN OUR NATIONAL INTEREST AND I'M QUOTING VARIOUS PEOPLE, NOT JUST ONE, THERE'S NOT A NATIONAL INTEREST TO ENTER UKRAINE, WE HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT OUR BORDERS MORE THAN UKRAINE'S BORDERS, UKRAINE IS CORRUPT, IT'S NOT REALLY A DEMOCRACY, AND THE PEOPLE IN CHARGE OF THE UKRAINE POLICY ARE THE ONES THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE BOTCHED AFGHAN RETREAT, WE DON'T WANT TO DO WHAT THEY SAY.

HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THESE PEOPLE IN YOUR PARTY?

>> WELL, I CAN'T SPEAK TO, YOU KNOW, TO AS SO WHAT THEIR THINKING IS AND WHAT THEIR BLEACHES ARE, I CAN ONLY SPEAK FOR MYSELF AND WHAT THE MAJORITY OF MY PARTY SUPPORTS AND I'M PROUD TO SUPPORT THE MESSAGING WE JUST DISCUSSED.

>> WELL, THE HEADLINE OF A CITY AND STATE ARTICLE IN THE -- ON THE NEW YORK REPUBLICAN CONVENTION WAS TITLED "NEW YORK GOP AWKWARDLY BACKS BOTH TRUMP AND UKRAINE."

AS IF IT'S A CONTRADICTION TO DO BOTH, BECAUSE OF THE -- OF THE THINGS THAT TRUMP HAS SAID, THINGS THAT HAVE HE HAS SAID ABOUT PUTIN IN THE PAST AND RECENTLY.

DO YOU THINK IT'S A CONTRADICTION TO BE IN SUPPORT OF UKRAINE AND DONALD TRUMP?

>> I THINK WE NEED TO STOP FOCUSSING ON DONALD TRUMP RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE HE IS NOT THE PRESIDENT RIGHT NOW.

PRESIDENT BIDEN IS THE PRESIDENT AND UNFORTUNATELY, UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF PRESIDENT BIDEN, WE HAVE SEEN A DISASTROUS PULLOUTHANISTAN AND WE'RE SEEING A TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE WAR IN UKRAINE.

SO, HE HAS HAD TWO FOREIGN POLICY FAILURES DURING HIS VERY SHORT PRESIDENCY AND I THINK WE NEED TO FOCUS ON THAT.

PRESIDENT TRUMP -- IT SHOULD NOT BE PART OF THE DISCUSSION RIGHT NOW.

>> SO, YOU KNOW, YOU HAD THE CONVENTION IN NEW YORK, OF THE REPUBLICANS, HOW REALISTIC IS IT FOR THE REPUBLICANS TO MAKE GAINS THIS YEAR AND IN THE FUTURE, GIVEN, YOU KNOW, ALL THE ADVANTAGES DEMOCRATS HAVE IN REGISTRATION AND THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THEY HAVE IN ELECTED OFFICE?

HOW OPTIMISTIC ARE YOU THAT YOU CAN MAKE REAL DIFFERENCES, IN ABOUT 30 SECONDS?

>> VERY OPTIMISTIC, BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT MY RACE, NOBODY THOUGHT THAT I COULD WIN.

I WAS RUNNING AS A REPUBLICAN IN A CITY THAT IS PREDOMINANTLY DEMOCRAT.

MY DISTRICT WAS 2-1 DEMOCRAT AND I TOOK THAT IN A LANDSLIDE.

I GOT 64% OF THE VOTE.

I WORKED EXTREMELY HARD, AND LOOK, IT'S ABOUT THE POLICIES OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

I THINK THAT EVERYBODY'S ANGRY ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN OUR CITY AND OUR COUNTRY AND I THINK THAT BECAUSE OF THAT, REPUBLICANS HAVE A GREAT SHOT TO WIN.

>> ALL RIGHT, WELL, WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT.

HOPEFULLY YOU WILL BE -- CONTINUE TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN YOUR POLITICAL CAREER.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US, GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND TO ALL THE PEOPLE YOU REPRESENT.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>>> GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO "METROFOCUS," I'M RAFAEL PI ROMAN.

YOU KNOW, IN LIGHT OF THE RECENT RISE IN ANTI-SEMITIC ACTS OF VIOLENCE ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THE 92nd STREET Y, ONE OF NEW YORK CITY'S LONGEST-RUNNING CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS, HAS STARTED A NEW DISCUSSION SERIES TO HIGHLIGHT THE DANGERS OF ANTI-SEMITISM.

THE SERIES TITLE "SPOTLIGHT ON ANTI-SEMITISM" FEATURES PROMINENT SPEAKERS TO PROPOSE ACTIONS TO CON FRONT THIS KIND OF HATE HEAD-ON.

THE CONVERSATION SERIES KICKED OFF LAST MONTH WITH THE HEAD OF THE ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE AND THE NEXT DISCUSSION WILL BE WITH BRETT STEPHENS OF "THE NEW YORK TIMES" ON MARCH 6th.

JOINING US NOW AS PART OF OUR CEO OF THE 92nd STREET Y, SETH PINSKY.

HE'LL TALK TO US ABOUT HOW THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO FUNCTION DURING THE CONTROVERSY PANDEMIC.

SETH, WELCOME BACK TO THE PROGRAM.

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.

IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE.

>> SO, SETH, FIRST OF ALL, TELL US ABOUT THE LARGER 92nd STREET Y CONFRONTS HATE CONVERSATION SERIES.

HOW DID THE IDEA FOR THE SERIES COME ABOUT AND WHAT TOPICS HAVE YOU ALREADY COVERED OR ARE PLANNING TO COVER, ASIDE FROM ANTI-SEMITISM?

>> WELL, AS AMERICANS, ALL OF US AT THE 92nd STREET Y HAVE UNFORTUNATELY OBSERVED THE INCREASE IN HATRED AND DISCRIMINATION ACROSS OUR COUNTRY OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS AND AS A JEWISH ORGANIZATION, HAVE BEEN VICTIMS OF HATRED AND DISCRIMINATION.

WE'VE BEEN PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE TO THAT AND FELT THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR US TO HIGHLIGHT THIS INCREASE AND TO TALK ABOUT WAYS THAT WE AS A COUNTRY COULD COME TOGETHER TO TRY TO ADDRESS HATRED.

AND SO, A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, WE LAUNCHED OUR 92Y INITIATIVE.

WE'VE FOCUSED ON THE ISSUES THAT ARE BEING FACED BY AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THIS COUNTRY, BY IMMIGRANTS OF VARIOUS BACKGROUNDS, BY LATINOS, BY ASIANS, AGAIN, THE UNFORTUNATE THING IS THAT THE LIST IS VERY LONG.

>> YEAH.

>> AND WE'VE TRIED TO FOCUS ACROSS THE BOARD, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WHERE HTRED IS ALLOWED TO SURVIVE IN ANY FORM, UNFORTUNATELY IT IS ALSO ABLE TO SPREAD.

>> WE ARE BOTH MARRIED TO ASIAN AMERICAN WOMEN AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE EXPERIENCES THAT THEY'VE HAD AND IT'S NOT GOOD.

>> NO.

>> ANYWAY, UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S ALL TOO EASY TO UNDERSTAND WHY ANTI-SEMITISM WOULD BE PART OF A SERIES ON CONFRONTING HATE.

AS I MENTIONED IN THE INTRODUCTION AND AS YOU JUST POINTED OUT, ACTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST JEWISH AMERICANS HAVE INCREASED, INCLUDING HERE IN THE CITY.

IN FACT, ACCORDING TO THE NYPD'S LATEST CRIME FIGURES, HATE CRIMES AGAINST JEWISH PEOPLE IN THE CITY WERE UP 275% LAST YEAR, COMPARED TO JANUARY OF THE PREVIOUS YEAR.

WHY DO YOU THINK THAT'S HAPPENING, PARTICULARLY HERE IN THE CITY, WHERE -- WHICH IS A PLACE WITH THE HIGHEST POPULATION OF JEWISH PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF ISRAEL?

>> LOOK, THIS IS A MULTI-LAYERED PROBLEM, UNFORTUNATELY, THAT HAS BEEN AROUND FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, AT THIS POINT.

SO, IN SOME WAYS, YOU COULD ARGUE THAT THE SITUATION THAT WE'RE IN OVER THE SEVERAL DECADES AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR WAS REALLY THE ANOMALY AND WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW IS THAT WE'RE JUST REVERTING BACK TO NORMAL.

BUT I DO THINK THAT THE COMBINATION OF THE POLARIZATION AND THE GENERAL RISE IN THE WILLINGNESS OF PEOPLE TO EXPRESS EXTREME VIEWS AND HATRED, THANKS TO SOCIAL MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY, HAVE NOT BEEN HELPFUL.

I ALSO THINK THAT THE PANDEMIC AND THE DISPLACEMENT THAT THAT'S CAUSED HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INCREASE.

BUT YOU KNOW, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN AROUND FOR A VERY LONG TIME AND LIKELY WILL BE AROUND FOR A LONG TIME IN THE FUTURE, AND IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO RAISE OUR HANDS, AS WE DO WITH ALL FORMS OF HATRED AND SAY IT'S UNACCEPTABLE AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WE'RE JUST GOING TO STAND BY AND ACCEPT.

>> YOU'RE THE SON OF A RABBI, YOU GREW UP IN AND AROUND NEW YORK CITY, SPENT THE FIRST YEARS OF YOUR LIFE HERE.

I MEAN, WERE YOU LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE LEARNED ABOUT ANTI-SEMITISM FROM YOUR FAMILY AND FROM YOUR STUDIES LIKE THE REST OF US WHO ARE NOT JEWISH PEOPLE, OR DID YOU EXPERIENCE YOURSELF PERSONALLY?

>> I MEAN, I'VE CERTAINLY SEEN ANTI-SEMITISM AND BEEN THE VICTIM OF IT, MOSTLY IN IMPLICIT WAYS.

I REMEMBER GROWING UP IN MINNESOTA, I USED TO HAVE A HABIT OF WRITING LETTERS TO THE EDITOR IN THE NEWSPAPER AND IT WAS INCREDIBLE, THE NUMBER OF TIMES THAT I WOULD HAVE A LETTER PUBLISHED AND I WOULD RECEIVE THEN ANONYMOUS LETTER FROM SOMEONE THAT MADE REFERENCE TO THE FACT THAT I WAS JEWISH, EVEN IF THE SUBJECT OF MY LETTER HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH JUDAISM.

BUT I THINK I'VE GENERALLY BEEN FORTUNATE, AS A JEWISH INDIVIDUAL, THOUGH, WHO WAS BORN IN THE GENERATION OR TWO AFTER THE HOLOCAUST, IT WAS ALWAYS SOMETHING THAT WAS VERY MUCH PRESENT IN MY EDUCATION AND SOMETHING THAT I, OF COURSE, WAS TAUGHT TO BE AWARE OF AND SENSITIVE TO AND I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT ALL JEWS BORN AT ANY TIME HAVE TO BE AWARE OF, BECAUSE AGAIN, IT'S JUST BEEN PART OF OUR HISTORY FOR AS LONG AS WE'VE BEEN A PEOPLE.

>> NOW, IN THE EVENT DESCRIPTION FOR THE UPCOMING CONVERSATION WITH BRETT STEPHENS ON MARCH 6th, IT SAYS THAT THE DISCUSSION WILL INCLUDE AN EXPLORATION OF, QUOTE, THE PERNICIOUS EFFECTS OF ANTI-SEMITIM ON OUR CULTURE AND DEMOCRACY.

I GUESS YOU HAVEN'T HAD ABOUT ADVANCE GLIMPSE OF HIS REMARKS, BUT I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.

IT WAS AN INTERESTING QUESTION.

HOW DOES ANTI-SEMITISM UNDERMINE DEMOCRACY, DO YOU THINK?

>> WELL, I THINK IN MANY WAYS, JEWS HAVE SERVED AS A CANARY IN THE COAL MINE FOR WESTERN CIVILIZATION, THAT AT TIMES WHEN ANTI-SEMITISM RISES, IT USUALLY COINCIDES WITH OTHER SERIOUS ISSUES IN SOCIETY, AND SO WHEN YOU SEE THIS KIND OF HATRED ONCE AGAIN REARING ITS HEAD, IT'S USUALLY AN INDICATION THAT SOMETHING ELSE IS GOING WRONG AND SOMETHING DEEPER IS GOING WRONG IN SOCIETY.

AND SO, I THINK WE AS AMERICANS, WHEN WE WITNESS A RISE IN ANTI-SEMITISM AS WE'RE SEEING TODAY, NEED TO ASK OURSELVES, WHAT'S GOING ON, AND WHAT WE NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO ADDRESS NOT JUST ANTI-SEMITISM, BUT THE POLARIZATION THAT SEEMS TO BE FEEDING AND UNDERLYING IT.

>> THAT WAS MY NEXT QUESTION.

I SAID THAT THE SERIES PROPOSES ACTIONS TO CONFRONT ANTI-SEMITISM HEAD-ON.

THE SERIES ITSELF IS DOING THAT.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE OTHER WAYS THAT -- THOSE LISTENING TO OUR CONVERSATIONS CAN DO TO CONFRONT ANTI-SEMITISM HELD-ON?

>> WELL, I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS NOT TO ALLOW IT TO BECOME BACKGROUND NOISE.

WHEN I LOOK AROUND AT THE CURRENT CONVERSATION, VIS A VIS HATE AND DISCRIMINATION, IT SEEMS TO ME, AT LEAST, THAT ANTI-SEMITISM IS NOT IN A PRIMARY PLACE ON THE LIST OF DISCRIMINATION, FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION THAT PEOPLE ARE FOCUSING ON AND IS FARTHER DOWN THE LIST, ALMOST AS IF THE FACT THAT IT'S RISING IS NOT BEING NOTICED.

AND I THINK PART OF THE REASON FOR THAT IS THAT IT NEVER REALLY HAS GONE AWAY.

AND SO, IT'S -- IF NOT ACCEPTED, AT LEAST EXPECTED.

AND I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF US IS TO CALL IT OUT AND TO SHINE A LIGHT ON IT.

AND WHAT MAKES IT SO PARTICULARLY CHALLENGING HERE IN THE UNITED STATES IS THE FACT THAT UNLIKE OTHER FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION, IT DOESN'T TEND TO COME FROM ONE END OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM OR THE OTHER, IT TENDS TO COME FROM BOTH ENDS OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM, WHICH MAKES IT EVEN HARDER TO ADDRESS.

>> SO, SETH, WE ONLY HAVE A COUPLE OF MINUTES LEFT AND I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE SECOND TOPIC THAT WE INVITED YOU FOR.

92nd STREET Y IS, OF COURSE, BEST KNOWN AS A VENUE FOR LIVE EVENTS, INCLUDING TALKS AND CONCERTS AND FOR HOLDING ALL KINDS OF CLASSES ON-SITE.

I'VE GONE TO THE CONCERTS AND TO THE TALKS AND I'VE TAKEN SOME CLASSES THERE, SO I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.

HOW DID YOU COPE DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC?

WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?

>> WELL, THE GOOD NEWS FOR US IS THAT TODAY WE'RE WELCOMING 2,000 TO 2,500 PEOPLE INTO OUR BUILDING ON A DAILY BASIS AND OUR PROGRAMS ARE COMING BACK AND COMING BACK IN FORCE.

BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAD TO DO WHEN WE CLOSED OUR DOORS IN MARCH OF 2020 WAS TO PIVOT VERY QUICKLY TO AN ONLINE ENVIRONMENT.

THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY HADN'T DONE, AT LEAST AT SCALE IN THE PAST.

WHAT ENDED UP HAPPENING, THOUGH, IS THAT WE DISCOVERED THAT THERE WAS A WHOLE NEW AUDIENCE FOR OUR PROGRAMMING.

WE'VE SINCE MARCH OF 2020 PRODUCED OVER 4,600 ORIGINAL PROGRAMS ONLINE THAT HAVE DRAWN ABOUT 5.5 MILLION LIVESTREAM VIEWS AND WE'VE SOLD OVER 250,000 TICKETS TO OUR EVENTS, TO PEOPLE FROM ALL 50 STATES AND OVER 200 COUNTRIES.

SO, AS PAINFUL AS THE PANDEMIC HAS BEEN, AND IT'S CERTAINLY BEEN AS PAINFUL FOR US AS IT HAS BEEN FOR ANYONE ELSZ, IT'S OPENED OUR EYES TO THE FACT THAT NOW WE'RE NOT JUST A NEW YORK INSTITUTION, BUT WE'RE A TRULY GLOBAL INSTITUTION, WHICH HAS BEEN A REALLY EXCITING OPPORTUNITY FOR US IN WHICH WE VIEW AS PART OF A FUTURE WE HOPE WILL MAKE US EVEN STRONGER THAN WE WERE PRE-PANDEMIC.

>> SO I GUESS YOU'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO BE A HYBRID INSTITUTION NOW, THANKS TO THAT.

BUT AS FAR AS THE OPEN EVENTS, WHEN WILL YOU HAVE IT LIKE IT USED TO BE, BEFORE THE EVENT?

AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE AUDIENCES ARE SAFE?

>> WELL, AS WITH MANY OF OUR PEERS, WE'RE REQUIRING VACCINATION FOR PEOPLE WHO ATTEND OUR EVENTS.

IN OUR PERFORMANCE SPACES, WE'RE REQUIRING PEOPLE TO WEAR MASKS.

AND WE'VE HAD, ACTUALLY, A VERY GOOD TRACK RECORD OF KEEPING OUR AUDIENCES AND OUR PATRON BASE MORE GENERALLY SAFE AND SECURE THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC.

THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT ON MANY DAYS, IT FEELS HERE EXACTLY AS IT DID PRE-PANDEMIC.

NOT EVERY DAY.

AND WE STILL HAVE TO BUILD TOWARDS SOMETHING THAT'S CLOSER TO WHAT THE OLD NORMAL WAS LIKE, BUT I'M FEELING VERY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THINGS AND REALLY BELIEVE THAT THERE'S A THIRST AND A HUNGER FOR THE KIND OF PROGRAMMING THAT WE DO AND THAT AS THE WORLD GETS BACK TO WHATEVER THE NEW NORMAL IS, THAT THE 92nd STREET Y WILL BE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THAT NEW NORMAL.

>> ALL RIGHT, SETH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.

YOU KNOW, IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO TALK TO YOU, IT REALLY IS.

I HOPE WE CAN DO IT AGAIN SOON.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.

I HOPE SO, AS WELL.

>> THANK YOU.

>>> "METROFOCUS" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY -- SUE AND EDGAR WACHENHEIM III, SYLVIA A.

AND SIMON B. POYTA PROGRAMING ENDOWMENT TO FIGHT ANTI-SEMITISM, THE PETER G. PETERSON AND JOAN GANZ COONEY FUND, BERNARD AND DENISE SCHWARTZ, BARBARA HOPE ZUCKERBERG, THE AMBROSE MONELL FOUNDATION.