IN THE MOUNTAINS NEWSLETTER OF THE CATSKILLS INSTITUTE An Organization to Promote Research and Education on the Significance of the Catskill Mountains for American Jewish Life NUMBER 15 APRIL 2004 KLEZKAMP 2003 10TH ANNUAL HISTORY OF THE By Irwin Richman CATSKILLS CONFERENCE Living Traditions’ 19th Annual Schein Jessica by photo ANNOUNCED Yiddish Folk Arts Program, “KlezKamp,” was held Decem- August 27th-29th, 2004 ber 23-29, 2003, at the Swan Kutsher’s Country Club Lake Hotel in the Sullivan County hamlet of Swan Lake. It’s never too early to plan for The event was a welcoming the next conference. and decidedly haimish alterna- Panel on History of the Catskills: (l-r) Neil Blackman, Phil Brown, Irwin If you have not yet attended, you tive to America’s Christmas Richman, Henry Sapoznik, Paul Pincus, Pete Sokolow, Ray Musiker have no idea what you’re miss- drenched December environ- ing. If you have attended before, ment. About 550 people par- keep the tradition alive. ticipated; some to study Yiddish bungalows and hotels. Henry Sapoznik appeared op- culture, others to speak Yid- Phil and Irwin were also posite a reprint of the original This coming conference will dish, but most to play and/or members of a panel, “Working text. It recalled the Halcyon again feature the extremely dance to klezmer music. Music in the Mountains,” attended by days when, “Every hotel was popular bus tour and an “open was like a warm Jacuzzi envel- most kampers on Tuesday packed, and they crammed mike” session. evening. Other panelists were people in like herring in a bar- oping the entire environment Watch the website for further Neil Blackman, the hotel’s rel.” A time when a request practically, and possibly, 24/7. details of speakers and events. Being a retiree I went to sleep at sales manager and longterm for a room might be met with night at a temperate 1:00 or hotel veteran, and three musi- a snappy rejoinder from a very 2:00 a.m. while music was still cians who had played the Cats- self-satisfied proprietor, being played and people were kills: Pete Sokolow, Paul Pin- “Nothing doing mister, you dancing. cus, and Ray Musiker. should have come during the Inside this issue: Historically KlezKamp had KlezKamp’s Zhurnal winter when the place was been held at the Paramount (Journal) featured an article, empty.” BOOK CORNER 7 Hotel in Parksville, Sullivan “The Legacy of the Jewish KlezKampniks came in all County, until the resort burned Catskills,” by Phil and “The ages, literally from babies to three years ago. For the next Catskills: A Photo Essay,” by folks in their 90s. Everyone IN MEMORIAM 3 two years KlezKamp was held Albert J. Winn, which cen- could find their own coteries in Cherry Hill, New Jersey – tered on Parksville as photo- and appealing scheduled and KLEZ KAMP 2003 1-2 hardly sacred ground. 2003 graphed in winters past. Addi- unscheduled activities, coming marked KlezKamp’s return to tionally, there was a transla- together for meals and evening the Catskills. tion by Michael Wex of a 1947 programs. AIN’T NO MOUN– 4-6 The Catskills Institute was broadcast on WEVD about a These evening programs TAIN HIGH ENOUGH part of the joyous event and vacation in “The Mountains” were highlights of the Kamp offered a program, “The Catskill and a translation of, “A Night and each was followed by a ARCHIVES 2 Institute at KlezKamp,” featur- of Plezhur: A note from the dance party featuring Jewish ing Phil Brown and Irwin mountains,” written by B. dancing with the dances being ORDER CONFERENCE 7 Richman discussing a full range Kovner (Jacob Adler), which led by KlezKamp dance in- TAPES of Catskill themes including art appeared in The Forverts in structors so that they had form history, movies and, of course, 1935. The translation by (Continued on page 2) PAGE 2 IN THE MOUNTAINS KLEZKAMP 2003 (Continued from page 1) but with others who couldn’t be numerous crystal chandeliers and with us for the whole week. an over-abundance of oversized and were not entirely the free- Sunday night was the culmina- oriental vases and other exotic for-all that the obligatory hora or tion of the week with a concert tchatchkes that defy description. sher is at many Because KlezKamp Jewish weddings. is glatt kosher, cater- With some indi- ers supplied the vidual dances last- meals, which, except ing half an hour, for Friday night, you needed stam- Schein Jessica by photo were presented buf- “Every hotel was ina, but all was fet style and were packed, and they joyous. The more mediocre mod- crammed people in like grandest of the ern orthodox style herring in a barrel.” evening programs than classic borscht were Saturday and belt. One was not ~EXCERPT FROM “A Sunday nights. tempted to overeat. NIGHT OF PLEZHUR” Saturday night But you were there REFERENCING THE was an historic for an education, KlezKamp Jam Session at Swan Lake Resort HALCYON event. A live recrea- pleasure, and fellow- tion of a vintage Yiddish radio by the many groups (students ship, not food – and these essen- program was broadcast on the and faculty) that had been assem- tials were available in abundance local (Jeffersonville) PBS station, bled during the Kamp week. whether you studied Yiddish, WJFF, and available worldwide The dance party afterwards was dance, paper cutting, music his- on the Internet. “Yiddish Mel- especially spirited, including two tory, Hebrew calligraphy, or ody in Swing,” was a long-lasting folks who danced on stilts. Catskill culture … or played WEVD program that featured The Swan Lake Hotel, itself, music. It was a feast for the Jewish arrangements of then new was an experience. It is the re- soul. songs, combined with traditional named version of the Stevensville Thanks go to Living Tradi- and theatre music. All was very Hotel, which, after being aban- tions’ founder Henry Sapoznik, lively and complete with period doned and boarded up for many and to his colleagues for mount- commercials from the sponsor, years, has recently been re- ing the event and for inviting the B. Manischewitz and Co. It was claimed by an unlikely couple – Catskill Institute into its tent. It an evening that everyone in at- he an Italian American physician was truly the Jewish un- tendance will remember. The and she an Asian American. Christmas. night club at the Swan Lake, Very much a work in progress, KlezKamp, welcome back to renamed “Tanzhal,” was the hotel’s lobby and dining the Catskills! crowded, not only with Kampers room have been reinvented with Rosenblatt Hotel, Glen Wild. Source for the fictional hotel in Main House of the Delmar Hotel in Loch Sheldrake. Rueben Wallrod’s “Dusk in the Catskills” Owned and operated by Max & Claire Jacobs. NUMBER 15 PAGE 3 IN MEMORIAM HARRIET KAPLAN ways another kind of extended family. end. I married Sharon on the front lawn October 17, 1920—February 8, 2004 Guests would often remark that the of the hotel on a warm October Sunday Harriet Kaplan was a longtime resident hotel had “a real family feeling” about it. under a bright blue sky with the fall of Monticello, with a winter home in Max had a paternal affection toward the foliage in the background. Lake Worth, Florida, She was a retired generations of busboys and waiters Max’s signature comments were deliv- manager of the former Kaplan's Delica- whose summer earnings at the hotel ered on the public address system at the tessen in Monticello. The daughter of enabled them to put themselves through hotel. Best known were his announce- the late Charles and Bertha Kuntz, she college. ments of breakfast, lunch and dinner. was born in the Bronx. Harriet’s hus- Max met Claire in Paris during World “Good morning ladies and gentlemen of band, Ben Kaplan, a columnist for the War II and brought her back to the the Delmar Hotel. It is a lovely day, the Sullivan County Democrat, is a member of states. They worked closely together sun is shining, the herring are jumping, the Catskills Institute Advisory Board, running the hotel during their 58 years and breakfast is now being served, the and was for years the director of the of marriage. She ran the kitchen and main dining room is now open.” Some- Sullivan County Hotel Association. Mrs. cooked for 150 guests while he ran the times he would accidentally leave the Kaplan is also survived two daughters office. They were rarely apart, and microphone on after calling a guest to and sons-in-law, Sari and Joel Mittleer never for long, and they made most the telephone, and his candid remarks and Ricki and Steven Lacy; four grand- important decisions together. They were would be broadcast to the entire hotel. daughters, Tracey Daniels and her hus- a good team. “That Sadie Cohen, she is eating my band, Jason of Queens, Mara Epstein Max was a steady and loving father. He kishkes out!” he would exclaim. These and her husband Eric, of Manhattan, and would pick us up after school when we episodes were embarrassing but also Emma and Carly Rothfeld, both of Bos- would stay late for Hebrew school and, funny. Howie and I would race to the ton, Mass.; four sisters-in-law, Ellen later, debate practice. He had high lobby to the office to turn off the micro- Kaplan of Bardonia, Temmy Kaplan of hopes for his smart sons. He wanted phone. A couple of days after his death Margate, Fla., Irene Fritsch and her Howie to become a doctor or a math from complications related to a blockage husband, Robert, of Sarasota, Fla., and teacher and me to become a senator.