August 2024
The newest museum in Ellenville, New York, continues to grow. While it’s not officially expected to open until 2025, a soft opening that started in the summer of 2023 has allowed the museum to display of some of the exhibits already in their possession. This is allowing the museum to continue to raise money and awareness of the museum, while they undertake renovations of the 95-year-old neo-Georgian former Home National Bank building in downtown Ellenville that will be the permanent home of the museum once renovations are complete.
The Borscht Belt Museum will commemorate and tell the story of the Borscht Belt, the colloquial name of the Catskills area of eastern New York State, that was once populated with resorts and bungalow colonies that served as a summer refuge for Jewish clients from New York City, in an era when Jewish people still faced discrimination elsewhere.
The museum harkens back to an era when millions of urban dwellers sought refuge in the mountains of upstate New York, including its importance in American Jewish history and its impact on things like architecture, music, comedy and sports.
Many prominent comedians of the day got their start performing at the Borscht Belt hotels and bungalow colonies, like Lenny Bruce, Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Red Buttons, Sid Caesar, Totie Fields, George Burns, Rodney Dangerfield, Henny Youngman and Joan Rivers.
The Borscht Belt Museum states on their web site that the museum “…is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Borscht Belt resort era, and celebrating its history as a refuge from bigotry, the cradle of stand-up comedy and a cultural catalyst that left deep imprints on America.”
Located in former home of the Home National Bank at 90 Canal Street in downtown Ellenville, the bank itself has a significant connection to the history of the Borscht Belt. In the 1950s, when few other financial institutions would give loans to Jewish businesses, Home National Bank president William Rose would provide the much needed financial assistance to the hoteliers and bungalow colony owners in the area.
The driving force behind the creation of the museum is author and archivist Allen J. Frishman, a lifelong resident of Sullivan County and Town of Fallsburg as Code Enforcement Officer for 24-years, where both his grandparents owned bungalow colonies. The artistic advisory board for the museum has a collection of notable Jewish celebrities, including Fran Drescher, Harvey Fierstein, Judd Hirsch and Neil Sedada.
Honourary co-chars are Elaine Grossinger Etess and Mark Kutsher.
The Catskills Borscht Belt Museum accepts donations of objects and archival materials that are historically significant. For more information about making a donation, visit their Donate page.
Ellenville Historic District
In conjunction with the 2nd annual Borscht Belt Fest, held in downtown Ellenville, a historic plaque was dedicated in in Resnick Park, a small parkette beside the Borscht Belt Museum.
The unveiling of a historic marker at the corner of U.S. Route 209 and Canal Street, was part of the kick-off ceremonies for the 2nd Annual Borscht Belt Festival weekend. The new historic marker commemorates the 2012 establishment of Ellenville’s downtown as a historic district.
Robin Kauffman, one of the founders of the Borscht Belt Museum, stated, “The corner of 209 and Canal Street is what it’s all about, the buildings along this street, the Hunt Building, and some of the other historic buildings. We want people to take note that this is a historic district.”
Elliot Auerback, a museum board member, said, ”It tells the story about this community, what it’s gone through, what it was, what it is, and what it will be.”
Evan Trent, Ellenville’s Mayor, celebrated the marker unveiling, stating, “It’s just a wonderful thing to be able to celebrate an important period in Ellenville’s history and the greater Ulster County history.”
Sources: Historic marker unveiled in Ellenville (VIDEO) – Mid Hudson News, Borscht Belt Museum – Telling the story of America’s Jewish Vacationland – Canadian Military History (militarybruce.com), The BORSCHT BELT FESTIVAL Returns to Ellenville – And Such Large Portions – Splash Magazines (splashmags.com).
