In my original post about malaprops, I indicated that Betsy is one of the more frequent contributors to keeping such things alive. This morning she came up with a new one. Regarding a discussion on whether we wanted to involve the kids in the decision as to what color to paint their room, she meant to ask if I wanted to open that can of worms. Instead, however, she asked if I wanted to open that kettle of fish.
I suppose there is a linkage there. If you wanted to catch a kettle of fish, you might open a can of worms . . .
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Friday, December 05, 2008
Coming Home to the Catskills
Okay, so most of you know that I'm on the board of directors of a non-profit called Limmud NY. We are an organization that fosters Jewish life and learning, primarily through a 4-day conference held every MLK weekend in the Catskills that is a festival celebrating all things Jewish.
I was asked to write a piece for use on the website, and was given some sample topics. The one that screamed out to me was about coming home to the Catskills. I have been thinking about writing just such a piece for a number of years and finally had a good excuse to do so. I thought you might enjoy it as well. Thanks for reading.
Coming Home to the Catskills
By Matthew Grob
I am old enough to remember the Catskills when it was still the Borscht Belt – a country getaway destination in the mountains for Jews from the New York City area with headliners making their rounds from hotel to hotel. I’m not old enough to remember it in the days portrayed in “Dirty Dancing” though not much changed between then and my visits in the early 1970’s to places like Grossingers, the Concord, Brown’s, the Fallsview and yes – the Nevele. We even had a bungalow one summer at Kutshers.
When my good friend and Limmud NY founding board member came back from an exploratory trip to Limmud UK to determine if it could be replicated in New York, the first thing he said that got me excited was, “It’s like youth group for adults!” Having grown up in and formed my own Jewish identity through NFTY, the Reform youth movement, I was thrilled. What he said next was almost as exciting – that it would be held in the Catskills.
A hotel filled with Jews of all ages, lots of food, tons of activities, and a sense of community. All in the snow-covered mountains a mere 90 minutes from home. Did I just describe my youth or the past four Martin Luther King weekends at Limmud NY? Both.
As I sit here getting excited about the upcoming fifth Limmud NY to be held at the Nevele, I think about the comparisons between my younger days at these hotels and Limmud NY. Some things have changed, some have not.
Back then, kippers were on the breakfast menu. Today, soy milk is an option. In the 1970’s we rushed to Simon Sez sessions with Lou Goldstein, one of the best known “tummlers” from the heyday of the Borscht Belt. Mornings at Limmud NY we get up early for yoga. In my youth, there was a seemingly unlimited number of activities from which to choose, morning through night. Limmud NY offers over 300 sessions from dawn ‘til the wee hours, sometimes 15 at a time.
Entertainment was always one of the big draws to the Borscht Belt. Even in my day, members of the “Rat Pack” still made their rounds when not performing in Vegas. Cha-cha lessons during the day could be put into practice during dance parties at night. When I was a precocious eleven, my parents allowed me to see the late comedy show – the “blue” show, so named because it featured adult themes. In the 1970’s, blue didn’t mean what it does today. Back then it meant Jackie Eagle doing shtick about the fact that the word “fart” means “to travel” in Yiddish, leading to such statements as “I farted on a bus in Brooklyn yesterday,” and “Last summer we farted through the Alps.” At Limmud NY there are no such blue shows, but we find ourselves laughing at the likes of Yisrael Campbell and Aaron Freeman. The Rat Pack has been replaced by Coolooloosh and Israeli dancing is more prevalent than the cha-cha.
The adage “the more things change, the more they stay the same” holds here as well. We still come to Limmud NY in the Catskills for the same reason. To leave our day-to-day lives behind; to ensconce ourselves in an environment that is both different yet eerily familiar; to spend Shabbat with hundreds of people, many of whom may observe it somewhat differently than we do but all unified in recognition that it is something special. We go to bed tired yet satisfied, and wake up excited and energized for the full day ahead. Oh yeah – and more food than you would normally eat.
The glory days of the Borscht Belt are a memory, but the faint flicker of hope that the region will return to its once former self is kept alive not just by rumors of gambling coming to the area, but also by almost 1,000 Jews descending upon a Catskills hotel for 4 days every year. The peak of the Borscht Belt was arguably the 1960’s. That means we’ve been wandering away for 40 years. Isn’t it time that you came home too?
Matthew Grob has been a Limmud NY volunteer, Steering Committee member, and is now Secretary of the Limmud NY Board of Directors. He has attended every Limmud NY. As a youth, Matthew ate 2 desserts at every meal in the Catskills and still does the same at Limmud NY.
I was asked to write a piece for use on the website, and was given some sample topics. The one that screamed out to me was about coming home to the Catskills. I have been thinking about writing just such a piece for a number of years and finally had a good excuse to do so. I thought you might enjoy it as well. Thanks for reading.
Coming Home to the Catskills
By Matthew Grob
I am old enough to remember the Catskills when it was still the Borscht Belt – a country getaway destination in the mountains for Jews from the New York City area with headliners making their rounds from hotel to hotel. I’m not old enough to remember it in the days portrayed in “Dirty Dancing” though not much changed between then and my visits in the early 1970’s to places like Grossingers, the Concord, Brown’s, the Fallsview and yes – the Nevele. We even had a bungalow one summer at Kutshers.
When my good friend and Limmud NY founding board member came back from an exploratory trip to Limmud UK to determine if it could be replicated in New York, the first thing he said that got me excited was, “It’s like youth group for adults!” Having grown up in and formed my own Jewish identity through NFTY, the Reform youth movement, I was thrilled. What he said next was almost as exciting – that it would be held in the Catskills.
A hotel filled with Jews of all ages, lots of food, tons of activities, and a sense of community. All in the snow-covered mountains a mere 90 minutes from home. Did I just describe my youth or the past four Martin Luther King weekends at Limmud NY? Both.
As I sit here getting excited about the upcoming fifth Limmud NY to be held at the Nevele, I think about the comparisons between my younger days at these hotels and Limmud NY. Some things have changed, some have not.
Back then, kippers were on the breakfast menu. Today, soy milk is an option. In the 1970’s we rushed to Simon Sez sessions with Lou Goldstein, one of the best known “tummlers” from the heyday of the Borscht Belt. Mornings at Limmud NY we get up early for yoga. In my youth, there was a seemingly unlimited number of activities from which to choose, morning through night. Limmud NY offers over 300 sessions from dawn ‘til the wee hours, sometimes 15 at a time.
Entertainment was always one of the big draws to the Borscht Belt. Even in my day, members of the “Rat Pack” still made their rounds when not performing in Vegas. Cha-cha lessons during the day could be put into practice during dance parties at night. When I was a precocious eleven, my parents allowed me to see the late comedy show – the “blue” show, so named because it featured adult themes. In the 1970’s, blue didn’t mean what it does today. Back then it meant Jackie Eagle doing shtick about the fact that the word “fart” means “to travel” in Yiddish, leading to such statements as “I farted on a bus in Brooklyn yesterday,” and “Last summer we farted through the Alps.” At Limmud NY there are no such blue shows, but we find ourselves laughing at the likes of Yisrael Campbell and Aaron Freeman. The Rat Pack has been replaced by Coolooloosh and Israeli dancing is more prevalent than the cha-cha.
The adage “the more things change, the more they stay the same” holds here as well. We still come to Limmud NY in the Catskills for the same reason. To leave our day-to-day lives behind; to ensconce ourselves in an environment that is both different yet eerily familiar; to spend Shabbat with hundreds of people, many of whom may observe it somewhat differently than we do but all unified in recognition that it is something special. We go to bed tired yet satisfied, and wake up excited and energized for the full day ahead. Oh yeah – and more food than you would normally eat.
The glory days of the Borscht Belt are a memory, but the faint flicker of hope that the region will return to its once former self is kept alive not just by rumors of gambling coming to the area, but also by almost 1,000 Jews descending upon a Catskills hotel for 4 days every year. The peak of the Borscht Belt was arguably the 1960’s. That means we’ve been wandering away for 40 years. Isn’t it time that you came home too?
Matthew Grob has been a Limmud NY volunteer, Steering Committee member, and is now Secretary of the Limmud NY Board of Directors. He has attended every Limmud NY. As a youth, Matthew ate 2 desserts at every meal in the Catskills and still does the same at Limmud NY.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
House of Saddam
A few months ago I participated in a market research panel that was shown HBO's upcoming "House of Saddam." We only saw parts 1 and 2, but the entire group concurred that it was a fascinating and extremely well-done mini-series. It reminded many of us of The Godfather both in terms of quality (production and acting) and subject matter. It starts this Sunday on HBO and I highly recommend it. You won't be sorry.
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