3.19.24 - 92NY, a historic cultural center, turns 150 — grappling with today’s Israel-Hamas war
' Nonprofits often struggle to adhere to their original mission statements, especially as they develop new programs and serve new audiences. For Jewish institutions, the Israel-Hamas war has been an inflection point.
That's been especially true of The 92nd Street Y, New York, which turns 150 this month.
92NY was founded by a group of German Jewish New Yorkers as one of the earliest branches of the Young Men's Hebrew Association, which were modeled on the Young Men's Christian Associations, better known as the YMCA.
It had a simple goal — help immigrants assimilate, said Seth Pinsky, CEO of 92NY.
"They saw a growing wave of Eastern European Jews and felt that these new immigrants would need a place where they could learn how to become Americans, become educated, gain skills, and adjust to a new life in a new country," Pinsky said.
Over time, The 92nd Street Y, New York became much more: a nondenominational, cultural powerhouse open to all. "Even though it was founded as a Jewish institution, has always been a Jewish institution, it is also an institution that has always served the wider world," said Pinsky. '