First incorporated in 1911 and known as Centreville, Woodridge had early roots as an agricultural community with farms and boarding houses. Officially named Woodridge by 1917, it had five Jewish-owned-and-operated consumer cooperatives, which due to the anti-Semitic climate of the time, allowed for further establishment of Jews in the area. The village had connections to the American Labor Party, the Workmen’s Circle, and Marxist movements. Its population, although mostly Jewish, included a diverse group of nationalities. Notable area residents were social activists Louis Proyect and Allen Young, a Gay Liberation Movement activist. By the 1950s, Woodridge was home to about 50 hotels and 39 bungalow colonies. The Vegetarian Hotel catered to vegetarians and naturalists. Grine Felder was an exclusive bungalow colony that hosted artists, bohemians, Yiddish music, and theater performers. Other destinations were Hotels Israel, Rosemond, and Sunny Oaks. In 1995, Sunny Oaks hosted the first History of the Catskills Conference, which later formed the Catskills Institute.
Borscht Belt
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. Erected 2024 by Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation, Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project, Sullivan County Historian.
