The Borscht Belt Revisited: Author Talk with Marisa Scheinfeld

The Borscht Belt: Revisiting the Remains of America's Jewish Vacationland presents a contemporary view of more than 40 hotel and bungalow sites.

Today the Borscht Belt is recalled through the nostalgic lens of summer swims, Saturday night dances, and comedy performances. But its current state, like that of many other formerly glorious regions, is nothing like its earlier status. Forgotten about and exhausted, much of its structural environment has been left to decay. This illustrated lecture features Marisa Scheinfeld’s photographs of abandoned sites where resorts, hotels and bungalow colonies once boomed in the Catskill Mountain region of upstate New York. The images were shot inside and outside locations that once buzzed with life as year-round havens for generations of people.
In her talk, Scheinfeld discusses the rise, fall, and impact of the Borscht Belt along with the deeper, more layered meaning she finds in the series, as well as her current work with the Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project.
Following Marisa’s presentation she was joined in conversation by New York Preservation Archive Project Executive Director Emily Kahn.

This webinar was presented by the Preservation League of NYS as part of our Preservation Book Club series. Many thanks to our program sponsor, the Peggy N. & Roger G. Gerry Charitable Trust. https://www.preservenys.org/preservat...