Site of Grossinger's Resort

From the 1920s to the 1960s, the Catskills Mountains were a popular resort area for city residents looking to escape the noise and crowds of New York City. For some of them, the Catskills resorts offered another escape: it was a way to be free of the anti-Semitism that was far more prevalent in the United States than many Americans care to believe. By the mid-twentieth century, part of the Catskills, roughly ninety miles from the city—came to be known as the “Borscht Belt,” an area of bustling resorts that catered to a largely Jewish clientele. Arguably the most well-known of the Borscht Belt resorts was Grossinger’s, a sprawling complex of more than 1,000 acres that once welcomed more than 150,000 guests each year. The property sat abandoned and in disrepair for decades before being demolished in 2018.

In a time when long-distance travel was far more difficult than it is today, many wealthy New York City residents vacationed closer to home, choosing the fresh air of the Catskills. In its heyday, the area had as many as 500 resorts, many of which catered a predominantly Jewish clientele. It was a time when New York City’s large Jewish population was becoming increasingly affluent, but often faced discrimination and anti-Semitism. Escaping to the Catskills became a yearly tradition for many Jewish families, resulting in the area’s moniker, the “Borscht Belt.”

For 72 years, Grossinger’s Resort was the star of the Borscht Belt, widely known as the “Waldorf of the Catskills.” The story of the resort began with Selig Grossinger, an Austrian immigrant who came to the United States in 1897. When his wife and two daughters followed a few years later, the family opened a butcher shop and restaurant, both of which failed. But the experience provided Selig’s teenage daughter, Jennie, with the opportunity to hone her apparently natural skills as a hostess.

Selig eventually bought property on the outskirts of the small town of Liberty, and they took their first guest in 1914. But it was a bit later, when Jennie Grossinger took the helm, that the resort began to flourish, ultimately becoming the most popular of the Borscht Belt resorts. Grossinger, who left school in the fourth grade, possessed immense people skills, and was as comfortable among First Ladies and Hollywood royalty as she was among ordinary citizens, and was welcoming and gracious to them all. Though the clientele was primarily Jewish, Grossinger’s welcomed all races and religions, and was integrated well before it was required by law.

The result was a resort that was as beloved by ordinary Americans as it was by the wealthy and powerful. The expansive resort—including 35 buildings over 1,235 acres—counted celebrities among both its guests and its performers. Woody Allen, Jerry Seinfeld, and Jerry Lewis all performed there. Eddie Fisher was discovered at Grossinger’s, honeymooned there with his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, and returned with his second wife, Elizabeth Taylor, on several visits. Heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano trained there. And Jennie Grossinger counted among her friends Eleanor Roosevelt and Nelson Rockefeller, to name just two.

Eventually, however, Grossinger’s declined, as did the other Borscht Belt resorts. The causes of the decline are numerous. As airfare became more affordable, travelers found that more exotic, far-flung destinations were within reach. Additionally, the country's Jewish population--once largely concentrated in New York--became more geographically dispersed. And as anti-Semitism declined and Jews became more assimilated, there was also less of a desire to vacation at a resort that was widely seen as a strictly “Jewish” holiday spot.

The movie Dirty Dancing, which premiered in 1987, is believed to have been inspired by summer vacations at Grossinger’s, although the fictional resort was known as Kellerman’s and the movie was filmed in the South. The huge popularity of the movie could not reverse the fortunes of Grossinger’s, however; the resort closed a year earlier. The once grand resort sat empty and in disrepair for a number of years before being demolished in 2018.

Maurer, Pablo Iglesias. Abandoned NY: Inside Grossinger's Crumbling Catskill Resort Hotel , Gothamist. January 10th 2014. Accessed February 8th 2022. https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/abandoned-ny-inside-grossingers-crumbling-catskill-resort-hotel.

Lawson, Helen. What Would Baby Say? Inside the Abandoned Grossinger's Resort that was the Inspiration for Dirty Dancing Before it was Left to Rot for 27 Years, The Daily Mail . June 24th 2013. Accessed February 8th 2022. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2347166/Left-rot-27-years-Inside-Grossingers-Catskills-resort-abandoned-Borscht-Belt-destination-inspired-Dirty-Dancing.html

Levine, David . History of Borscht Belt Hotels and Bungalow Colonies in the Catskills , Hudson Valley Magazine. July 23rd 2014. Accessed February 8th 2022. https://hvmag.com/life-style/history/borscht-belt-hotels-catskills/.

Silverman, Stephen M . The Woman who Built the Waldorf of the Catskills , Smithsonian Magazine. November 2nd 2015. Accessed February 9th 2022. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/woman-who-built-waldorf-catskills-180957130/#:~:text=In%20its%20storied%2072%2Dyear,of%20its%20grandeur%2C%20just%20plain.