At the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan, you’ll find folks doing exactly what you’d expect at a community center – swimming, playing basketball, creating. But did you know Groucho Marx used the gym here, and Martha Graham taught dance here?

As CEO Seth Pinsky tells it, the organization’s remarkable history stemmed from a simple mission: “The 92nd Street Y was founded 150 years ago by a group of German Jewish civic leaders who saw a large number of Eastern European Jews coming to the United States, and they felt that that population needed a home, a safe place. And they said, ‘Let’s create a Jewish version of the YMCA.'”

Everyone is welcome at 92NY. The historic Kaufmann Concert Hall is emblematic of this welcoming spirit. Truman Capote first read from “In Cold Blood” here, and Kurt Vonnegut debuted “Breakfast of Champions.” When Emma Lazarus wrote the words that gave voice to the Statue of Liberty (“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”), she was teaching English to Jewish immigrants at the 92nd Street Y.

The stage has played host to Holocaust survivors (Elie Wiesel), musicians (Rod Stewart), Supreme Court Justices (Ruth Bader Ginsburg), scientists (Bill Nye, Neil deGrasse Tyson), and politicians (Hillary and Bill Clinton), not to mention some of the biggest names in film, TV, theater and comedy. 

In 1960, choreographer Alvin Ailey premiered “Revelations,” now one of his most well-known works, on this stage. Salie asked, “Why do you think that someone like Alvin Ailey was welcomed here at the 92nd Street Y when he wasn’t welcomed anywhere else?”

“Jews have a long history of being excluded,” said Pinsky. “And as a result of that, it’s a very important value for us not to exclude others for the same reason.”

Last fall, not long after the October 7th Hamas-led attacks on Israel, the 92NY drew heat for choosing to postpone an event with an author who was publicly critical of Israel. The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist, Viet Thanh Nhuyen, maintains he was given notice of the cancellation last-minute, before some organizers moved the event to a local bookstore not affiliated with 92NY.

But as changing times present new challenges, Pinsky said they are still guided by one of their founding values, “tikkun olam.” 

“Tikkun olam is a Hebrew phrase that means to repair the world,” said Pinsky. “And that’s a very important part of what we do. We’re trying to enrich people’s lives. We’re trying to build community.”

Programming at 92NY ranges from ceramics to parenting to art history, as well as a nursery school, performances, and the famed 92NY Talks series.

Eighty-two-year-old Lincoln Field has been taking guitar lessons from Ed MacEachen here for decades; a few floors below, Joanne Krantz is busy bejeweling herself at the famed Jewelry Center; and Peter Stokes jumped into a pick-up basketball game here nearly 50 years ago, and he’s never stopped coming, for cardio and camaraderie.  “It’s also a great meeting place to meet people,” he said. “Since I started playing basketball, I have lifelong friends now.”

A century-and-a-half ago, the founders of the 92nd Street Y may not have foreseen all that it would become, but Pinsky is sure their vision has remained true: “It’s a place for people to make their lives more meaningful,” he said. “It’s a place for people to connect to other people and not feel alone and isolated. And I don’t see that changing in the coming 150 years in any way.”

      
For more info:

• 92nd Street Y, New York City
• Photos courtesy of the 92NY, Jack Prelutsky, Lura Burnette and Michael Priest Photography 

      
Story produced by Lucie Kirk. Editor: Karen Brenner.