For over 50 years, the Catskill Mountains of New York State were the summer retreat of millions of Jews, mostly of Eastern European origin, from New York City. The “Borscht Belt” – as it was affectionately known – became the model for vacation practices throughout the United States, and the training ground for countless actors, musicians, and stand- up comics who went on to make their names on Broadway and in Hollywood. But above all, it was the locus of a million summer memories.
"This film is happy, humane, ironic, and, finally, bittersweet, as we see that today's Jews no longer share the tastes or aspirations of their parents." - Jewish Film Insititute
Directed by Peter Davis
United States, 1985
Documentary, Jewish Culture, American History
English
81 minutes
A filmed performance of a popular Borscht Belt entertainment. Sackett Lake, Sullivan County.
A rare home movie feature at Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel, Liberty, New York.
Fragment from a rare silent commercial made for Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel, Liberty, New York.
