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| Borscht Belt - Bethel |
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| Borscht Belt - Bethel
Sullivan County tourism began in Bethel in the 1840s when the White Lake House and White Lake Mansion House were built for gentile guests. By the 1920s, over 50 Jewish hotels such as New Empire, Kenmore, and Woodlawn Villa dotted the communities of White Lake and Kauneconga Lake.
The Fur Workers Resorts, an interracial hotel, offered cultural and progressive programs. In 1949, African American musician and political activist, Paul Robeson was invited to perform at the resort weeks before his infamous concert-turned riot in Peekskill, N.Y. Later, the resort became Camp Hi-Li., a Jewish summer camp. Bethel was also home to Forestview Lodge, which catered to the African American community.
In the 1950s, Bethel transitioned to a destination of over 50 bungalow colonies such as Dubin's Lapidus Cottages, Karnofsky's, Sunny Lane and Zanes. Woodstock Music and Art Fair:from August 15-18, 1969, 500,000 people gathered for a weekend of live music on Jewish dairy farmer Max Yasgur's farm. The Kenmore Hotel hosted a production center creating silk-screened signage for Woodstock. The iconic festival remains a symbol of the counterculture movement of the 1960s.
Borscht Belt
From the 1920s through the early 1970s, the Borscht Belt was the preeminent summer resort destination for hundreds of thousands of predominantly East Coast American Jews. The exclusion of the Jewish community from existing establishments in the 1920s drove Jewish entrepreneurs to create over 500 resorts, 50,000 bungalows, and 1,000 rooming houses in Sullivan County and parts of Ulster County. The Borscht Belt provided a sense of community for working and vacationing Jews. The era exerted a strong influence on American culture, particularly in the realm of entertainment, music, and sports. Some of the most well-known and influential people of the 20th century worked and vacationed in the areas. Beginning around 1960, the Borscht Belt began a gradual demise due to many factors, including the growth of suburbia, inexpensive airfare, and generation changes
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