By Jerry Klinger in Boynton Beach, Florida
LAKE HUNTINGTON, New York — Markers 17, 18, and 19 of a 20-marker interpretive series on the Borscht Belt were recently installed. Funded by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, stewarded, shaped, and guided by an incredible team of individuals: Marisa Scheinfeld, Louis Inghilterra, and Isaac Jeffreys.
They would not let the stories fade into the gray mist of the past.
Each marker is Jewish in theme, and in an American way, universal, interreligious. Yet each tells the story of a unique world shaped by antisemitism that gave America and all Americans gifts that continue to enrich all today.
On one side of each marker is a common text reflecting on the darkness of antisemitism that led to the creation of the Borscht Belt. The reverse side is specific to the story and locale of that marker.
Here is the text common to all the historic markers:
Borscht Belt
From the 1920s through the early 1970s. The Borscht Belt was the preeminent summer resort destination for hundreds of thousands of predominantly East Coast American Jews. The exclusion of the Jewish community from existing establishments in the 1920s drove Jewish entrepreneurs to create over 500 resorts. 50,000 bungalows and 1.000 rooming houses in Sullivan County and parts of Ulster County. The Borscht Belt provided a sense of community for working and vacationing Jews. The era exerted a strong influence on American culture, particularly in the realm of entertainment, music, and sports. Some of the most well-known and influential people of the 20th century worked and vacationed in the area. Beginning around 1960, the Borscht Belt began a gradual demise due to many factors, including the growth of suburbia, inexpensive airfare, and generational changes.”
A site-specific marker reads as follows:
Western Sullivan County
“These communities became crossroads where Jewish, Black, Italian, and Polish families built their own vibrant resorts fostering leisure, social connection, and cultural belonging.”
Of particular note is the siting of the marker in Western Sullivan County. It is on Sullivan West High School 6604 NY-52, on the left when traveling north. Generations of young people will see, read, and glimpse the world of the past that shaped their todays.
The legend on another of the markers reads:
Rock Hill & Glen Wild
“While some lakes and clubs excluded Jews, nearby Glen Wild thrived with Jewish farms, hotels, and bungalow colonies.
In 1892, Yana “John” Gerson purchased a farm in Glen Wild and opened the region’s first Jewish boarding house, advertised in the 1899 O&W Railroad Summer Homes guide. By 1920, it became the Jaffe House Hotel.”
A third marker in the Borscht Belt Interpretive Project informs passers-by:
Roscoe
“During the Borscht Belt’s heyday, Roscoe was home to over a dozen hotels welcoming Jewish vacationers. Opened in 1900, the Campbell Inn was known as “A Little Switzerland in the Catskills,” featuring panoramic views and late Victorian architecture.”
Will the siting of the 20th marker in the Borscht Belt Marker Project mark the end of the effort?
No, at least two more are in consideration – one for the famed Grossinger’s Hotel, outside of Liberty, N.Y., and one so unique, it has never been done anywhere before. In the past few decades, large communities of Orthodox, Hassidic Jews have moved to the Borscht Belt. They established communities where Yiddish is the primary language. The possible 22nd marker being planned will be entirely in Yiddish.
The future remains full of promise. Understanding the past will help all Americans savor the present and look forward to tomorrow – together.
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Jerry Klinger is the founder and executive officer of the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation.