Seth Meyers Showcases His Jewish Writer’s Refugee Story

Seth Meyers, Dina Gusovsky Image by Getty Images, Lloyd Bishop/NBC

Dina Gusovsky used to be a CNBC reporter before she “threw it all away” to write for the “Late Night With Seth Meyers.” And before that, she was a refugee. In a recent segment on the comedy news show, Gusovsky stepped in front of the camera to share her story as an American immigrant who sought asylum with her family after enduring anti-Semitism in Russia.

Gusovsky, whose family immigrated to the US in 1991, remembers that at the time “Jews were being thrown in jail for no reason, they couldn’t get jobs, and officials were constantly asking to see our papers. Russian Jews got asked to show their papers more than American Jews get asked which summer camp they went to.”

Gusovsky, who sought asylum with her family as a child and went on to be the youngest CNN employee at 20, said, “By the time I was five, I was more fully vetted than most of Trump’s Cabinet.” Immigrants and refugees, she says, go through a more extensive process than most Americans imagine — they’re vetted for up to four years and screened by a minimum of five government agencies. Finally, she pointed out that allowing refugees and immigrants into America isn’t a “liberal” idea — “You know which flaming liberal let me in?” she asked, pointing to a picture of Ronald Reagan.

So there it is — a young Jewish refugee. Some of those dangerous, dirty asylum seekers are just like you.

Jenny Singer is the deputy lifestyle editor for the Forward. You can reach her at Singer@forward.com or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly. 

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount