Jack: New clashes after the former leader of Hamas call for the a global day of protest.

Tonight, how we can stem the rising tide of hate by speaking out in one voice.

"MetroFocus" starts right now.

♪ >> This is "MetroFocus," with Rafael Pi Roman, Jack Ford, and Jenna Flanagan.

MetroFocus is made possible by -- Sylvia A. and Simon B. Poyta Programming Endowment to Fight Antisemitism, The Peter G. Peterson and Joan Ganz Cooney Fund, Filomen M. D'Agostino Foundation, Barbara Hope Zuckerberg, And by Jody and John Arnhold, Bernard and Denise Schwartz, Dr. Robert C. and Tina Sohn foundation, The Ambrose Monell Foundation, Estate of Roland Karlen.

Charlotte and David Ackert, Tiger Baron Foundation, Nancy and Morris W. Offit, Josh Weston.

Jack: Good evening and welcome to "MetroFocus."

I'm Jack Ford.

there are protests on the strides of New York and tensions are running high.

throughout the week all across the city there have been continuing clashes between both sides of the Israeli and Palestinian conflict.

security is particular high today after the former leader of Hamas called for a global day of protest.

the entire NYPD force is on the job, know officials emphasize there has been no credible threat to the city.

against that backdrop, there have also been prayers on both sides of this divided city.

on Monday, "MetroFocus" will have a special report from inside their protests but tonight we look back at a special conversation to promote healing and connections between communities with some of the founders and participants of the interface security council, composed of more than 20 New York City faith based organizations to speak out against violent extremism.

joining us this evening, we're delighted to have Evan Bernstein, the C.E.O.

and national director of the security founding service and a founding co-share of the interfaith council.

pastor Gil Monrose.

Sheikh Musa Drammeh, and Rabbi Bob Kaplan, director of the center for communal leadership, the Jewish community relations council of New York.

welcome to all of you and thank you so much for spending some time with us.

Evan, can I start with you, as one of the co-fonders of this group?

you each have various physical locations and also missions in what you're doing.

what was then behind the idea that said, let's Crete a coalescens, let's reach out to all of those groups and figure out a way that we can bind ourselves together and perform some of these important functions that I mentioned in the introduction.

>> Thank you, Jack, for having us in this important conversation.

we really appreciate it.

the impetus behind this was when I started a year ago as the new C.E.O.

of C.S.S.

and having conversations with silver, part of the initiate active of the new federation of New York and talking about the needs beyond the Jewish community and now a rising threat to a may rad of favorite and minority groups across the city and across the country.

when we signed our first memorandum of understanding we decided we needed to Bing brink together a coalition to have this conversation.

the first conversation was bringing in Bob Kaplan and pastor Gil and obviously Sheikh and other group members now because we know this is such a critical moment in our nation's and city's history and we need to do this together and security unfortunately may be a bridge that can build relationships to coalitions right now.

we wish that wasn't the case but that's what we are and unfortunately it's ratherring up more and more as we see it every day.

Jack: understanding the power of this gather because it creates, I think, a significant visual image, the joining together of all of you in addition to what aboutically what you can do.

each of you, give me a quick caps laization of your organization and what you do faster Gil, you first.

>> Thank you so much, Jack for that introduction and for being on this platform.

the clergy council known as the god squad is a group of pastors who decided to respond to the violence we saw in our communities in east Flatbush, to triage to those communities but also to search as a bridge between our community and the police department in our legal area.

Jack: Sheikh Musa, how about you?

>> Yeah, thank you for having us.

after 9/11, my wife and I have decided that we're going to change the world and we're going to change the muse limb world and as crazy as it may sound, we are on our way in changing the Muslim world so changing the hearts and minds as well as establishing a formidable meeta to counter the toxic evil, deadly ideology emanating from the craziest people in our religion.

so after the last several days after the conflict was ignited again, we became pretty much full time responders to social media, anti-Semitic messaging to recruit more like-minded people so we're very, very busy making sure that no comment will be left unanswered.

this is what we do and it is working very well and we're going to continue to do it and along the way, so many people, Muslims included, have joined the cause so we're excited about it.

Jack: Rabbi Bob, how about your group?

>> First of all, thank you, Jack, for convening us.

being amongst my friends and colleagues and fellow journey people gives me the strength to do this kind of work.

we're living in a world of almost toxic -- not just what's happening in the Muslim world or black community.

this is across all lines and only by getting us together can we begin to meet in channel.

we have to do this together.

my silo is the Jewish council of New York.

an umbrella group of about 60 major Jewish organizations in New York.

my plaster role is the center for community leadership.

it is the chaired society center.

we have to share in this society.

how to share power, resources, knowledge, and we have to learn how to share challenges.

and it's this kind of initiative that does just that.

it brings us together, brings all this knowledge, all this fervor, all this passion and all this togetherness to help ensure that when people walk into a house of worship, they feel safe.

if you walk due of into a house of worship and you don't fear safe, it's not a house of worship, it's a house of fear.

Jack: Let me have each of you elaborate on something you touched on.

why is it important to have voices from all of these faiths being heard today?

>> I think it's critical because I think a lot of times my conversations with faith leaders over the last decade in New York that a lot of people felt certain conversations were being held within certain groups.

a lot of times I heard conversations where people felt the Jewish community was kind of holding on too tight to security conversations we elected officials and with other leaders in New York and how other groups were not being brought in.

I remember a specific conversation I had with pastor Gil just a few years about that.

about why other groups were not included that resonated with me and now growing volunteer security for Jewish houses of worship across New York and the country, it was the national time for us to start having these conversations to bring in more people under the umbrella.

it's not just one group experiencing this.

a lot of times we're in our silos, in our own little bubble.

it's getting worse and worse but now this is an opportunity where we need to start breaking down those walls and having those conversations.

Jack: I want -- >> I want to follow up on that.

throughout lens of my community, the Jewish community.

it's a joint project between U.J.

federation and J.C.R.C.

that helps to bolster security in synagogues and Jewish institutions.

I get what security means to the Jewish community, however, only by sitting with the Shane or the pastor or anybody else on the council can I begin to understand what security means to them and how it needs to look, operate and how to we share the resources of security.

whether we're talking about the NYPD or internal security measures in our own synagogues or churches or mosques or temples, there's a limited amount of resources out there and we're going to have to learn how to make sure they become less limited and we know how to share them so that all of us are feeling safe.

Jack: You use an interesting term when you talk about sharing and when we think of how our different religious communities -- and I don't think of this as any way as an indictment of them, but we think of them as existing on their own.

they have their own physical structures.

each have their own beliefs and tenets so it's not as if it's impossible for them to interact.

that's always been possible, certainly but you've a certainly independence here.

how then do you enact this sharing, Rabbi, Bob, that you mentioned?

how does it happen, then, that each of these individual religious communities can Vea let's work outside of our lit a active and figurative walls to engage in this sharing?

how do we do that?

pastor Gil, you first.

>> At the end of the day we're all people.

we all want safety and security.

at the end of the day we were all feeling the same pain and hurt when someone violates our sanctuary.

at the end of the day we are people, we live together.

we live on top of one another.

at the end of the day we are good will people.

therefore to share the resource would be a natural progression of people of faith.

whether from the Abrahamic side or not, good will for people means he would like for all people to be in safety and have the ability to worship and pray in safety and have an ease that they can do so.

houses of worship are the most sacred places and we have seen over the American experience, specifically and primarily for black church, from bombings to Charleston to Texas, we've seen that, again, these places have been desecrated by hate and it goes across the border.

I can give you examples from the Muslim communities, the Jewish community.

everyone hurt is same way.

so sharing resources is because we're human beings.

I hope that was not simplified but that's just the fact.

[Laughter] Jack: Talk about some of the specific grounds.

pastor Gil, you talked about actual attacks on places worship.

Sheikh Musa, you talked early on in the first part of our conversation here about the particular challenges for the Muslim community.

elaborate on that a little bit.

>> You know, the Muslim community is one of the most misunderstood communities because of the destructive elements that unfortunately carry the narrative and are more visible and cause the most damage wherever they are.

because of it, you know, the public in most cases are very, very afraid of Muslims.

and when you go around New York City on Friday and you listen to the ceremonies by different religious leaders, they are almost identical.

they talk about family values, they talk about peace building.

they talk about harmonious relation.

they talk about essential health services that every group, religious or otherwise needs, but because of the destructive element from the Muslim community, unfortunately, it takes people like us and millions of other peace builders who work harder and try our best to get our voices heard.

so, you know, we have our work cut out but we're going to continue to create relationships with the communities around us, the Jewish community, the catholic community, the Christian community and every other community.

because at the end of the day we are all in it together.

and, you know, story after stors person, whether it is anti-Semitic, anti-black, they are bias to everybody else.

hateful people are hateful people.

now, they may have primary targets, secondary targets but they are hateful people and they hate almost everybody.

and they also hate themselves so it is our job as Muslim leaders in New York City to make sure that we continue to be visible, continue to be active and continue to participate in interfaith programs so our people know that dealing with the Jewish community, dealing with Christians, dealing with people without favorite is normal and acceptable.

Jack: How does the council do what pastor Gil and Rabbi Bob have talked about?

not just a literal but actual embracing of these others re-- beliefs and structures.

what can the structure do to make that happen?

>> I think by creating reals on honest conversation.

we've all been on different Counsels that have, I hate to say it, been there for show.

this is not that.

after the first meeting, we already have gentle items, breakout sessions led by Rabbi Bob and pastor Gil where faith leaders are talk a -- talking about the issues they have in their communities.

what was fascinating is the similarities they all have.

those commonalities around security and able to bring in the right speakers and resources and do it on a consistent basis.

so it's not just meeting once for show and it's over and you put it on your V.C.

-- C.V., this is something to have impact on the community and where they can have a voice and provide the needed information for them and their communities.

Jack: Are you all finding that there is a willingness on the part of your communities, a recognition that, yes, we need to have something such as the interfaith security council to, yes, deal with each of your oin problems, which are knot insignificant in your religious problems but in addition to that, let's reachout and see what we can do for others.

Rabbi Bob?

>> So the mantra out there right now is no one's standing up for me, no one's coming forward.

we're finding the exact opposite.

when we started to put this together, not only was there a willingness, there was sort of an avalanche of I want to be part of this.

because when you offer a true and honest understand for people to get together to listen to each other.

hear and act with each other, there's a lot of good folks who want to do it.

frankly, we're not walking into other people's silos on a preregular basis.

we're not walking into other people's house of worship.

we're living in our own bubbles.

our own spiritual, and political bubbles and much more so than ever before.

what we're finding is folks are really willing to do this.

and, however, as Evan said before, we want to make sure we're walking away with something concrete.

we call it -- in Yiddish.

we want to say that was a time well spent and it's benefiting my community that's why we're so dedicated to making sure that this is real and you can only feel that realness from the folks that are on the screen and if you had all the folks Ro whore a part of the committee, you'd feel that realness more So yes, people are stepping up not skeptically but enthusiastically.

Jack: Pastor Gil, are you finding the same way?

>> Yeah, at the end of the day everyone wants security and I think as leaders we set the trend trend for people and regardless of siloos -- has a big Jewish community, has a big Muslim community.

I think we realize that we're here to stay and?

one is leaving so for us, people want to join together in terms of working together collaboratively.

one of the things that this is working and we are going to work on is that we have proven that we can survive without each other.

what we have not proven is if we can build together and I think this is one of the first steps of building together.

Jack: Is -- that's an interesting observation.

and I wonder how, and Evan, I'll ask you this question.

I wonder how successful the council can be because, as pastor Gil said, the history of religious communities have been because each of them at some point in time in their history has been underseen.

so that they've had to prove that they can exist independently, stand independently.

so what about that notion, Evan?

is that so antithetical to what the history have been to say let's figure out a way that we can stand and exist together?

>> I don't think we can afford not to.

I think we're in a moment in time that we must start standing together and working together.

and I think what makes it possible is the group -- we all have personal rhythms.

I-did my first Ramadan at Sheikh Musa's mosque.

I've traveled abroad with pastor Gil.

the people that are on this council were actually friends before this council was founded and I think that's what allowed for this to happen.

having Rabbi Bob and pastor Gil really Rem with the -- help with the recruitment.

we're all in this together and we've all done work at some level within the civil rights community, the religious rights communities.

that's going to allow to mature into maybe something we have not seen, operating as one unit.

that first meeting we had was one of the best interfaith group meetings I've ever had and I think the panel will attest to that.

really, the conversations are so honest and people, because they knew each other, were so willing to be open and truthful in those conversations because it was a safe space, that it was extraordinary.

Jack: How do we get the community -- Rabbi Bob, go ahead.

>> I want to build on what Evan just said.

we've spent decades building these relationships, not just a couple of weeks.

we spent decades.

I've known pastor Gil since he was just first pastor Gil and the Sheikh is being incredibly modest.

for almost a decade he had a synagogue inside his mosque in the Bronx.

he puts his money where his mouth is and Evan has stepped up for civil rights in unbelievable ways and sometimes at the suspense of his own community.

the reality is during the good times and during the tough times we've spent time get interesting to knee open're, getting to understand each other, getting to listen to one another.

that's a rarity nowa days and getting to trust one another, so when we see a challenge in front of us like the security issue, of course we're coming to the table.

of course we're going to be there.

these are not only people that we want to work with.

these are people that we enjoy working with.

it doesn't we all agree on everything, by the way, that we all have the same view on what's happening in the Middle East or what's happening in Brooklyn.

it just means that we've agreed that getting together, working together and creating a shared civic society where we can trust one another is the radically most important thing we can do right now.

Jack: I've got about two and a half, three minutes left here.

Evan, let me ask you this question then, and that is, as Rabbi Bob said.

we need to develop trust, we need to listen.

we need to recognize that just because somebody doesn't look like me, that doesn't make them an other where we can't appreciate them and literally and figuratively embrace them.

Evan, how do we, as the messenger, how do we get the message out to all of our rereligious communities and all of our nonreligious communities about the need for doing all this, the need for trusting and listening.

how do we do that?

>> It has to be at the microlevel.

we have tremendous conversations and relationships at the macro level across the city but part of the responsibility is going to be bringing it down to the microlevel.

the leaders of the small church, small mosques, small synagogues.

getting into conversations, getting on the pulpit, getting people talking about this.

once we're established and we get really rolling I think it's going to be about the expectations of the members of this group to really ensure it trickles down into the microof those communities because that's how it's going to clang the hearts and minds of individuals and show this work is going to be impactful and meaningful.

Jack: Now we have about 45 seconds so it's a quick last question.

Evan, if I say I just saw this program on "MetroFocus" yes all of you were involved and I want to know what I can do to help.

what's the answer?

>> Obviously reachout to any one of us and we have contacts in these communities that will allow you to volunteer in these communities.

Rabbi Bob has amazing opportunities.

I know Sheikh does.

and pastor Gil.

there are opportunities to Ben gauged.

everyone in this group has those opportunities and wants people to be engaged in different communities as well.

Jack: Listening to all of you certainly gives us help.

>> "MetroFocus" is made possible by Sylvia A. and Simon B. Poyta Programming Endowment to Fight Antisemitism, The Peter G. Peterson and Joan Ganz Cooney Fund, Filomen M. D'Agostino Foundation, Barbara Hope Zuckerberg, And by Jody and John Arnhold, Bernard and Denise Schwartz, Dr. Robert C. and Tina Sohn foundation, The Ambrose Monell Foundation, Estate of Roland Karlen.

Charlotte and David Ackert, Tiger Baron Foundation, Nancy and Morris W. Offit, Josh Weston.

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