A Summer World: The Attempt to Build a Jewish Eden in the Catskills, from the Days of the Ghetto to the Rise and Decline of the Borsch

Before I read Stefan Kanfer's book, "A Summer World," I put the blame for the decline of the Catskill hotel industry squarely on the shoulders of miserly owners. I remember going to places like The Pines and Brickman's and the Nevele way back in the early 70's and I remember how tired theses hotels looked. However, after reading his excellent study of these businesses and the region affectionately called the Borscht Belt, I realize that there were bigger reasons. Air conditioning and television, Disneyland, Disney World, Las Vegas, trendier vacation spots and hipper entertainment. The real estate the hotels sat on became more valuable for new summer homes for people trying to escape the crowded cities and suburbs. The children of Borscht Belt clientele found it embarrassing to go to places like the Concord and Grossinger's and Kutsher's and Brown's and Brickman's. They would rather go to the Jersey shore or sail on a cruise or fly to the Caribbean for Club Med. What made the Catskills so successful was also what made it decline: When it was alive and kicking, it was `the' place for Jewish vacations and when it started to decline, it was because it was thought to be a place where only Jews would go. Kanfer's book is a stroll down memory lane from the very beginning when a man known only as `Jacob the Jew' bought a plot of land near Livingston, NY to 1986 when Grossinger's was demolished. He covers just about everything and everyone that ever passed through this region from Joey Adams to Henny Youngman. Like Hollywood, however, we let it has slip through our fingers and disappear. For those people that have real memories of the Catskills, it will be a bittersweet trip. For people who have only heard about the legends from parents, aunts and uncles, it will be an amazing journey. Stefan Kanfer has done justice to this region that we can rightly call our own. It is a fine addition to anyone's bookshelf of Catskill lore.

My interest in Jewish history was borne from my love of the Catskills in New York. Having grown up in a Jewish community provided me with a background that prompted many questions for which I never quite found answers. As a young person my favorite comedians were all Jewish-their sense of humor and timing was uncomparable. I could laugh and cry at the same time and it felt good. Upon venturing into the local library in my town upstate in the quest for answers to the whys and wherefores of the names around the Catskills and the pockets of Hasidic communities around my little town, I spotted Stefan Kanfer's hardbound book. A quick glance at the title and the jacket was all I needed to decide this was must reading. From the first few pages my fascination began with the accounts of the immigrants at the turn of the century from Russia settling in New York City and their reasons for looking for 'a land flowing with milk and honey'; their determination to make a living as peddlars of assorted wares; their 'at odds' relationship with other incoming Jewish immigrants; the origin of many of the words we use today; the notoriety of the little towns along Route 17 and the 'not-so-nice' goings on; the rise of the empires of the many Catskill hotels that started out as places for immigrants seeking a 'cure' from TB; the true (and perhaps unknown to many) story of the Grossinger family and others; how many famous comedians got their start in these hotels, (Daniel David Kaminsky for one) and learning the real names of these men and women was a pleasant surprise; and, finally, the sad decline of the summer exodus to the catskills by the succeeding generations as times changed. I would venture to say that the Catskills were "made" by these Jewish immigrants and the knowledge I gained from this book was worth its weight in gold. I cannot imagine it absent from my bookshelf and know that is truly one of the finest books I have ever read. This is a 'must read' publication for any Catskill dweller. Thank you Mr. Kanfer.