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Today the Borscht Belt is recalled through the nostalgic lens of summer swims, Saturday night dances, and comedy performances, but its current state, like that of many other formerly glorious regions, is nothing like its earlier status. Forgotten about and exhausted, much of its structural environment has been left to decay. In an upcoming virtual book talk with photographer Maria Scheinfeld, author of The Borscht Belt: Revisiting the Remains of America’s Jewish Vacationland, you can explore the remnants of these forgotten destinations through stunning photographs and Scheinfeld’s own memories!
The Abandoned Borscht Belt
In this talk:
This illustrated webinar will feature Marisa Scheinfeld’s photographs of abandoned sites where resorts, hotels, and bungalow colonies once boomed in the Catskill Mountain region of upstate New York. The images were shot inside and outside locations that once buzzed with life as year-round havens for generations of people. In her illustrated talk, Scheinfeld will discuss the rise, fall, and impact of the Borscht Belt, along with the deeper, more layered meaning she finds in the series. Following her presentation, there will be an opportunity for questions and answers.
Marisa Scheinfeld was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1980 and raised in the Catskills. She received a B.A. from the State University of Albany in 2002, and an MFA from San Diego State University in 2011. Her work is motivated by an interest in the landscape and its embedded histories, both apparent and hidden. Marisa’s photographic projects and books are among the collections of the Library of Congress, The New York Public Library, Yeshiva University Museum. The National Yiddish Book Center, The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art & Life at UC Berkeley. The Simon Wisenthal Center, The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, and The Edmund and Nancy K. Dubois Library at the Museum of Photographic Arts. On October 4, 2016, Cornell University Press released her first book entitled The Borscht Belt: Revisiting the Remains of America’s Jewish Vacationland. Marisa is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Photography at SUNY Purchase and working on her second book.
Tickets to this virtual talk on April 13th are just $10! ! You can gain access to unlimited free virtual events per month and unlock a video archive of 100+ past events as an Untapped New York Insider starting at $10/month. Already an Insider? Register here! Can’t make it live? Register for this virtual talk and we’ll email you a recording of it after it ends!
The Abandoned Borscht Belt
Next, check out 10 Abandoned Resorts from The Borscht Belt: Revisiting the Remains of America’s Jewish Vacationland
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