The Borscht Belt Museum is dedicated to preserving the legacy of the Catskills 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.
UPCOMING EVENTS
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Comedy in the Catskills!
Borscht Belt Comedy Club returns to Ellenville with an all-star night of comedy, featuring Jake Velazquez, Will Julian, and headlined by Liz Glazer. In partnership with New York Comedy Club, this wildly popular event is bringing the hottest new standup comics... back to the Borscht Belt!
Saturday, May 11, 7:00PM, Shadowland Stages 14 Market Street, Ellenville, NY.
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Comedy in Manhattan!
A Night of Comedy to Benefit the Borscht Belt Museum
Sunday, June 2, 7:30 PM, Theater555, 555 W. 42nd Street, New York City.
Comedians Tom Cotter, Steven Scott & Kerri Louise will have you hyperventilating with laughter.
Food and libations courtesy of Prohibition and City Winery.
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Borscht Belt Fest is Back!
July 27 & 28
Join us for our annual food and culture festival in downtown Ellenville! Borscht Belt Fest will feature two days of stand-up comedy, live music, art exhibitions, educational programs and dozens of delicious food vendors.
The Borscht Belt Resort Era
For much of the 20th century, urban dwellers, many of them Jews, migrated en masse each summer to the Catskill mountains 90 miles north of New York City. They were seeking escape from the pestilence and sweltering tenements of the city, but also from rampant antisemitism that barred Jews from most hotels.
The vacation world they created included nearly 1,000 resorts, bungalow colonies and boarding houses, and a vibrant nightlife that drew the nation’s top entertainers — and a parade of sports figures, political leaders and civil rights activists.
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Thank you for your continued support.
Borscht Belt Fest on PBS!
Experience the vibrant history of Jewish humor in the Catskills through this special episode of PBS's "All Arts Dispatch," filmed at Borscht Belt Fest. The video delves into how the Catskills resort era revolutionized stand-up comedy in America.
Engaging, Interactive, Educational
The Borscht Belt Museum occupies the historic Home National Bank, a 1928 Neo-Georgian gem that has strong links to the Borscht Belt era as one of the few financial institutions willing to lend to the region's Jewish hoteliers and bungalow colony owners in the 1920s, 30s and 40s.
Actor and comedian Danny Kaye with resort owner Jennie Grossinger.
Boxer Floyd Patterson trains at Kutsher’s for a title fight.
President Lyndon B. Johnson meets Homowack Lodge owners Irv and Florence Blickstein during a visit to the Catskills in 1966.