ELLENVILLE – The Borscht Belt Museum in Ellenville hosted its holiday “mashup,” which was an informal blending of Hanukkah and Christmas, on Sunday afternoon. It was a unique celebration exploring the Jewish composers behind iconic Christmas hits like White Christmas and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Guests gathered to light the menorah and enjoy the spread of latkes, eggnog, and other light refreshments. We spoke with the Board President, Andrew Jacobs, about the party.
“Almost all the Christmas songs that we know and love, from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to Santa Baby, were written by Jews. So we thought it was a nice opportunity to kind of showcase that piece of history that is largely forgotten, and also bring people together, just have a good time,” Jacobs said.
Although the party was festive, there was security present to keep the well-wishers safe. Get-togethers like this are more important now than ever during these dark times. People came to have fun and enjoy a nosh, Jacobs explained. “Both holidays are about light and spreading joy. And I think that’s really what matters right now. So we just wanted to bring the light into people’s lives.”
He says the birth of the Borscht Belt resort communities was a direct result of bigotry. He hopes that the museum preserves the legacy of the entertainment, stand-up comedy, and great food that the Catskills are known for. “Out of that sort of adversity, there was this birth of stand-up comedy, because that was sort of the way people were entertained up in the Catskills.”
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