On December 13, 2018, the Jewish Studies Program, in conjunction with the Smith Family Business Initiative in the SC Johnson College of Business, sponsored an event titled “The Borscht Belt Revisited: From Cornell to the Catskills and Back.” Members of the Friends of Cornell Jewish Studies alumni group -- Bob Katz ’69, Eric Roth ’74, Laurie Roth ’75, Sam Seltzer ’48 and Andrew Tisch ’71 – served as co-hosts for the event, which was held at the College of Business’s New York office, located at 45 West 57th Street in Manhattan.
Over 100 attendees enjoyed an evening of nostalgic reminiscence. Ricelle “Bunny” Grossinger, the widow of Paul Grossinger ’36, the one-time owner of Grossinger’s Resort Hotel, and her grand-niece and fellow hotelier, Rachel Etess Green ’98, regaled the crowd with stories of their family’s sprawling Catskills resort. Located in Liberty, New York, Grossinger’s was one of the largest establishments in the Catskills and renowned for its kosher cuisine and Borscht Belt entertainment. For over 65 years, Grossinger’s catered to a largely Jewish clientele from New York City. At its height, the resort included 35 buildings on 1,200 acres and attracted 150,000 guests a year. Co-host Bob Katz recounted tales of his family’s ownership of Totem Lodge, a Catskills-style resort on 500 acres in Averill Park, New York. And Marisa Scheinfeld, an author and photographer who was raised in the Catskills, presented images from her recent book The Borscht Belt: Revisiting the Remains of America’s Jewish Vacationland. Shot both inside and outside the former hotels, bungalow colonies and other Catskills sites that once attracted generations of American Jewish guests, Scheinfeld’s photos document the decline, demolition and, in some instances, repurposing of these abandoned structures.
From kugel to egg creams to borscht (of course), the food served at the event also took the crowd down memory lane. In keeping with traditional Catskills style, the variety of the food offerings was wide and the portions were huge. By all accounts, no one left hungry.
