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| Grossinger's Hotel |
The "
Borscht Belt" was a nickname for the summer resorts in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York that were frequented by Jewish vacationers coming primarily from New York City. Its heyday was the 1940's through the 1960's. Many well known comedians either got their starts or performed regularly in the Borscht Belt hotels, including
Mel Brooks,
Jerry Lewis,
Carl Reiner,
Don Rickles, and
Jerry Stiller, names I grew up listening to. I was also told that one of my grandfather's brothers used to work in the hotels during the summer and met his lifelong sweetheart there. So even though I am too young to have actually gone to the Borscht Belt, it was something I grew up hearing a lot about.
Next Saturday, December 1, at 7:00 p.m. I'll be attending a free screening of
Rise and Fall of the Borscht Belt, a 1986 documentary by Peter Davis, at
Congregation Beth-Israel Judea, 625 Brotherhood Way, San Francisco. Though there is no admission fee, donations are welcome. Havdallah and refreshments will be provided.
