Reading & Talk with photographer and author Marisa Scheinfeld
Thursday, May 15, 2025 | 6PM
Reher Center Gallery (Spring St. entrance)
Free
More information here.
May 6, 2025, 6:30 p.m.
Location: Poughkeepsie Public Library, Boardman Road Branch (141 Boardman Rd)
Join us for a visual presentation and Q&A with photographer Marisa Scheinfeld, author of the book The Borscht Belt: Revisiting the Remains of America's Jewish Vacationland. This illustrated lecture features Scheinfeld’s photographs of abandoned sites where resorts, hotels and bungalow colonies once boomed in the Catskill Mountains. The images were made 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.
A collaboration between the Loeb and the Poughkeepsie Public Library District, this talk is presented in conjunction with Great Green Hope for the Urban Blues, the Loeb's current special exhibition. The show explores two centuries of art and myths of the Hudson Valley, and includes one of Scheinfeld’s Borscht Belt photographs.
Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event.
Register for the talk here.
The Borscht Belt was a unique cultural phenomenon in New York history. These summer resorts played a monumental role in the development of the Hudson Valley and Jewish culture across the state. Professor and photographer Marisa Scheinfeld will be discussing the rise and fall of the Borscht Belt, sharing photos of these resorts and discussing her work with the Borscht Belt Historical Marker project to help preserve this unique slice of history. Copies of Marisa’s book will be available for purchase.
18 Hudson St, Kinderhook, NY 12106
June 18th, 2022, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
76 Main st.
Narrowsburg, NY 12764
Hurleyville General Store
238 Main Street
Hurleyville, New York 12747
The Hurleyville General Store is a lifestyle boutique promoting meaningful access, integration & economic opportunity for people with disabilities. For more information on the store:
https://hurleyvillegeneral.com/
Explore the abandoned resorts of New York's Catskill region through stunning photographs
Revisit the heyday of "America's Jewish Vacationland"
Take part in a Q&A with photographer and author Marisa Scheinfeld
Receive a discount code to purchase your own copy of The Borscht Belt
More info and register here.
Book talk via Zoom more info here.
Every summer, Jewish community, comedy, and culture thrived in the Catskill Mountain region in upstate New York, also known as the Borscht Belt. As we all shelter in place and yearn for more normal summer pastimes, join us to explore this bygone pivotal era in American Jewish history.
We’ll hear from Marisa Scheinfeld, a documentary photographer whose book The Borscht Belt: Revisiting the Remains of America's Jewish Vacationland highlights the now-abandoned hotels and resorts that once served as vibrant vacation havens.
You’ll also discover how UJA’s work is helping sustain Jewish summer camps through the Covid-19 crisis.
To sign up for this free talk, click here.
Book talk and signing.
Sidney Albert Albany JCC
340 Whitehall Road
Albany, NY 12208
(518) 438-6651
Book talk and signing.
Ben’s of Bayside
211-37 26th Avenue
Bayside, NY 11360
(718) 229-2367
Marisa Scheinfeld: The Borscht Belt
Based on her widely acclaimed book, The Borscht Belt: Revisiting the Remains of America’s Jewish Vacationland (Cornell University Press), this traveling exhibition features Marisa Scheinfeld’s large-scale color photographs of the abandoned remains of the once famous resort hotels of the Catskill Mountain region. A frequent guest lecturer, Scheinfeld’s photographs have been exhibited widely, and her work has been featured in numerous publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Slate Magazine, and American Photography. She is also an adjunct instructor at Westchester Community College.
Gallery Talk: Thursday, January 31, 2:00 pm
Snow date: Thursday, February 7, 2:00 pm
*Exhibition and gallery talk are open to the public and free of charge.
WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE FINE ARTS GALLERY
ACADEMIC ARTS BUILDING 3RD FLOOR
75 GRASSLANDS ROAD VALHALLA NEW YORK 10595
MON–SAT 10am–3pm + THU 4–6pm
Gallery closed Thanksgiving, and December 24 – January X
914.606.6835
Book talk and signing co-sponsored by JCC of the North Shore
Abbot Public Library
235 Pleasant St.
Marblehead, MA 01945
(781) 631-1481
Book talk and signing.
Ellenville Public Library
40 Center Street
Ellenville, NY 12428
Phone: (845) 647-5530
e-mail: epl@rcls.org
Book talk and signing
National Building Museum
401 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 272-2448
Book talk and signing
Derfner Judaica Museum
Biederman Library
Stolz Pavilion at Hebrew Home at Riverdale
5901 Palisade Ave
Bronx, NY 10471
(718) 581-1596
Book talk and signing
SUNY - Stonybrook
Center for Global Studies and Human Development
400 Circle Rd, Stony Brook, NY 11790
631-632-7063 or 632-OLLI
*Talk is presented by Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at SUNY-Stonybrook
Book talk and signing.
Woodbury Jewish Center
200 S. Woods Road
Woodbury, NY 11797
(516) 496-9100
Book talk and signing sponsored by Jewish Family and Children's Service of Greater Mercer County, held at the following location:
Congregation Beth Chaim
329 Village Road East
Princeton Junction, NJ 08550
Phone: 609-987-8121 Ext. 126
Book talk and signing
Baruch College: The City University of New York
The William and Anita Newman Vertical Campus Conference Center
(55 Lexington Ave. at 24th St)
14th Floor/ Room 14-270
New York, NY 10010
646-312-1000
Book sale and singing.
The Westchester Jewish Council presents the 43rd Jewish Music and Arts Festival - a day of music, dancing, children's activities, vendors and (kosher) food.
Free and Open to All. Free Parking. Rain or Shine.
Phone: 914-328-7001
Location:
Kensico Dam Plaza
Valhalla, NY
Book talk and signing
The Strong National Museum of Play
1 Manhattan Square Drive
Rochester, NY 14607
(585) 263-2700
Book talk and signing
JCC of Central New Jersey *
1391 Martine Avenue
Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
(908) 889-8800
*Event sponsored by the JCC but to to be held at Congregation Beth Israel, 18 Shalom Way (1920 Cliffwood Street), Scotch Plains. More info here.
Book talk and signing
Catskill Interpretive Center
5096 New York 28
Mount Tremper, NY, 12457
Book talk and signing
Jewish Museum of Maryland
15 Lloyd Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
In conjunction with the exhibit Just Married! Wedding Stories from Jewish Maryland, the Jewish Museum of Maryland presents a book talk by photographer Marisa Scheinfeld. Scheinfeld’s new book, The Borscht Belt: Revisiting the Remains of America’s Jewish Vacationland, presents a contemporary view of dozens of Borscht Belt hotels and bungalow colonies, taking the viewer deep into the heart of the lost world of the beloved region.
A Catskill native, Scheinfeld spent many a summer day swimming in the pools and lakes of Ulster and Sullivan counties. At the Museum, Marisa will discuss the history of the Borscht Belt and detail its rise, fall and impact. She will discuss her connections to the region and the layered meanings behind the photographs. Her talk will also illustrate the Borscht Belt’s significance as a destination for many honeymooners, including that of her maternal grandparents.
Book signing (only) at the Art Walk at the Noah Webster Weekend, an annual celebration of literacy, history and Noah Webster in Goshen, New York.
West Main Street
Goshen, NY
