Bennett Room

Culture, cuisine, and comedy came together to form an intricate network of hotels, bungalow colonies, and resorts throughout New York’s Catskill Mountains. With a strong Jewish lineage, the Borscht Belt came to be known as a distinctly American story, one represented by a diverse clientele that journeyed to the mountains in search of fellowship, basking under the warmth of the summer sun. Now, with the remaining hotel structures vanishing one by one, it is through these remaining artifacts, such as matchbooks, silverware, menus, and even architectural details, that this story can be shared. 

This lecture employs these relics to share with visitors the complete and complicated story of the Borscht Belt—one that extends before the Civil War and reveals the many industries, as well as individuals, that made it successful. Displayed is a wide array of artifacts from the Richard L. Benjamin Archive of Borscht Belt Tourism History, which works in conjunction with the Borscht Belt Museum in contributing artifacts for exhibits.