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July 2024

All Shows in July 2024
  • Saturday July 27th 10:00AM - Borscht Belt Museum
  • Private Museum Tour
  • Join curator Debra Schmidt Bach for an intimate tour of the museum's new exhibition, "And Such Small Portions!," which explores the intersection of food and comedy in the Catskills Resort era. A veteran curator at the New-York Historical Society, Schmidt Bach and her curatorial team have crafted an entertaining and delicious journey through the foodways and comedic culture of the Borscht Belt.Limited to 20 people.
  • SOLD OUT
  • Saturday July 27th 11:30AM - Market Street Studios
  • My Daddy the Comedian
  • What’s it like growing up in a comedic household? The children of four iconic Borscht Belt comedians share personal stories about the delights and downsides of sharing a roof with a professional funnyman. Emmy and Tony Award-winning comedy writer Alan Zweibel moderates this fascinating discussion with Sheryl Gunty Seiferas & Lori Gunty Becker (daughters of Morty Gunty), Judi Kirschenbaum-Levin (daughter of Freddie Roman), Peter Lord (son of Dick Lord) and David Barbanell (son of Vic Arnell).
  • SOLD OUT
  • Saturday July 27th 12:30PM - Borscht Belt Cabaret
  • Borscht Belt Story Hour
  • Come share your favorite Catskill memories at a Borscht Belt-themed "Story Slam." Sign up for a chance to tell a true, personal 5-minute story about your time in the Catskills. Inspired by The Moth Story Hour, story-teller names will be drawn at random for a chance to pay tribute to those wonderful bygone days and nights. Whether your story is funny, poignant, or wistful, we're sure the audience will love our story-slam trip through time as they vote for the best story. The winning storyteller will receive a prize. Following ticket purchase, email [email protected] to enter the storytelling contest.
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  • Saturday July 27th 01:30PM - Market Street Studios
  • Breaking Barriers: Sports & Race in the Catskills
  • In Catskills' heyday, giants like Wilt Chamberlain, Rocky Marciano and Red Auerbach trained at the region’s hotels and entertained throngs of adoring guests and journalists. At a time of de facto segregation, Borscht Belt hotel owners helped chip away at prevailing racial barriers. Panelists include Joe Dorinson, author of “The Black Athlete as Hero,” boxing historian and Liberty boxing club owner Jose Toledo, and legendary tennis coach and professor Barry Goldsmith. Moderated by film and TV producer Evan Haiman.
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  • Saturday July 27th 01:30PM - Borscht Belt Museum
  • Private Museum Tour
  • Join curator Debra Schmidt Bach for an intimate tour of the museum's new exhibition, "And Such Small Portions!," which explores the intersection of food and comedy in the Catskills Resort era. A veteran curator at the New-York Historical Society, Schmidt Bach and her curatorial team have crafted an entertaining and delicious journey through the foodways and comedic culture of the Borscht Belt.Limited to 20 people.
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  • Saturday July 27th 02:00PM - Borscht Belt Talks
  • Forverts to the Catskills!
  • Summer in the Catskills made a big impression on readers of the Forverts, the Jewish immigrant community's Yiddish paper of record, with subscribers jamming the newspaper's switchboards, in a desperate scramble to switch addresses so that their beloved daily would be delivered to their Borscht Belt boarding houses, bungalow colonies and resorts upon arrival and for the duration of their stay.Loaded with classified Yiddish ads for Catskills farmland, boarding houses, hotels and even Yiddish summer camps, Forverts readers and writers found a home in the Borscht Belt for well over a century. Join archivist Chana Pollack on a journey through the historic Forward's archives, hear some of what they reported on the Catskills, and see what the tumult was all about.
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  • Saturday July 27th 03:00PM - Shadowland Stages
  • Immigrant Jam
  • Lucie Pohl’s Immigrant Jam Comedy features NYC’s funniest immigrant and 1st gen comics, who will make you laugh so hard you’ll wish you were born somewhere else. Guaranteed not to have stolen any of your jobs, Immigrant Jam celebrates the beauty of everything cross cultural, deliciously different and not from here. Hosted by Lucie Pohl, with performances by Ayanna Dookie, Leclerc Andre, Naomi Karavani, Pat Burtscher, and Alex Carabaño.
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  • Saturday July 27th 03:30PM - Market Street Studios
  • The Shtetl Kitchen: The Roots of New York Jewish Foods
  • Jeffrey Yoskowitz, award-winning author and founder of The Gefilteria, explores the history and context for some of today's most beloved dishes – including latkes, matzo ball soup, blintzes, pastrami sandwiches, pickles, and much more – and how they evolved and adapted in the New World. He'll also share exciting discoveries about seasonal Jewish eating, holiday cooking, and culinary wisdom that will transform everything you thought about Ashkenazi Jewish gastronomy.
  • SOLD OUT
  • Saturday July 27th 04:00PM - Borscht Belt Talks
  • Catskills Kleptomaniacs and More Borscht Belt Memorabilia
  • Humorist, Borscht Belt Museum archivist and lifelong Catskills resident Allen Frishman returns to share more behind-the-scenes stories about his family's bungalow colonies, his plumbing experiences, and his extensive collection of rare and interesting artifacts.For example the hotel coat hangers that your grandmother stole. "They charge way too much for this room. Take a hanger!" Well, it's in his collection now. And when you see some of the other items, they'll make you say, "Boy, I remember that." He'll also be sharing some new stories from his forthcoming book, "Gefilte Fish for the Soul." So be prepared to have a memorable hour of comedy and reminiscing.Frishman will be signing copies of his first two books, "Tales of a Catskills Mountain Plumber" and "More Borscht from a Catskills Mountain Plumber."
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  • Saturday July 27th 05:00PM - Borscht Belt Cabaret
  • Borscht Belted
  • Catskills native Warren Epstein brings his hilarious and heart-warming one-man show to Borscht Belt Fest! You’ll smell the gefilte fish and laugh out a lung as you journey through the quirky bungalow colonies, smoky cocktail lounges, and majestic resorts of yore.Epstein channels Rodney Dangerfield, Woody Allen, Jack Benny, and other humor pioneers as he recreates his childhood memories from the Catskill era. 
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  • Saturday July 27th 05:30PM - Market Street Studios
  • The Birth of Blue Comedy
  • What happened in the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s that so dramatically shifted the world of humor from family-friendly icons like Jack Benny, George Burns and Milton Berle to the salty, sexually explicit and politically incorrect comedy of Lenny Bruce, Buddy Hackett and Joan Rivers?  Comedy historian Lenny Dave takes us on an instructive and entertaining survey of the rebellious and controversial comedians whose careers were nourished in the Catskills before they catapulted to national fame.
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  • Saturday July 27th 07:00PM - Borscht Belt Cabaret
  • The Ruthless Comedy Hour
  • Get ready for a variety show specially tailored for grownups with half a brain. Now in its 8th smash year, The Ruthless Comedy Hour features top stand-up comedians, musicians and celebrity interviews, and touches on social, political and local concerns by making brutal fun of them. Hosted by stand-up veteran Karen Bergreen and humorist Cynthia Kaplan with special guests Carole Montgomery and Brad Zimmerman.Carole Montgomery has had a long and successful career in comedy. She has headlined clubs across the USA and starred in two different Las Vegas production shows. Carole created and stars in three Showtime specials for "Funny Women Of a Certain Age." The first special, starring Fran Drescher, made history as the first TV show to showcase female comics over the age of 50. It was the network’s highest rated special of 2019. Brad Zimmerman is a stand-up comedian and playwright who regularly opened for George Carlin and Joan Rivers (her favorite), among other top comedians. His solo show, "My Son the Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy," ran for fifteen months Off-Broadway to rave reviews and continues to tour the country.
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  • Saturday July 27th 07:00PM - Shadowland Stages
  • Rachel Feinstein
  • Rachel Feinstein is a nationally touring comedian and actress. AV Club says “Feinstein’s acute observations create silly, sympathetic characters keeping her subtly, exquisitely attuned to her audience. She has appeared on LIFE & BETH for Hulu. Rachel also recurred on the Steven Soderbergh Amazon series RED OAKS and on Judd Apatow’s HBO comedy CRASHING. Her past credits include TRAINWRECK, TOP FIVE, THE NIGHTLY SHOW WITH LARRY WILMORE, HBO’s LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER, co-hosting THE VIEW on multiple occasions, and several appearances on INSIDE AMY SCHUMER for which she won a WGA award. You may also remember Rachel co-hosting alongside Shaq on UPLOAD WITH SHAQUILLE ONEAL. Feinstein has also lent her voice to Adult Swim’s VENTURE BROTHERS and the phenomenally successful GRAND THEFT AUTO video game franchise.
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  • Sunday July 28th 10:30AM - Shadowland Stages
  • Mitzvah or Shandah
  • Mitzvah or Shandah is a lively, interactive event based on a conversational card game. It brings people together to laugh about their shared Jewish experiences, debate humorous cultural scenarios, and connect with one another. Suitable for all ages, especially intergenerational audiences. Hosted by Danielle Brody.
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  • Sunday July 28th 11:00AM - Market Street Studios
  • All About Kugel: Sweet, Savory, and Comforting
  • Come for the nosh, stay for the drash—it's kugel! Culinary historian Avery Robinson explores Jewish American cultural identity through the lens of this culturally significant Ashkenazi casserole. It’s a journey that begins in Medieval Europe and continues across the Atlantic to the Catskills where kugels' appearances and guises reflect a rapidly assimilating and globalizing American Jewry. Avery is a cofounder of Rye Revival, a nonprofit promoting rye as a climate change mitigation strategy, and he runs Black Rooster Food, maker of 100% rye sourdough bread.
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  • Sunday July 28th 12:00PM - Borscht Belt Cabaret
  • Borscht Belt Story Hour
  • Come share your favorite Catskill memories at a Borscht Belt-themed "Story Slam." Sign up for a chance to tell a true, personal 5-minute story about your time in the Catskills. Inspired by The Moth Story Hour, story-teller names will be drawn at random for a chance to pay tribute to those wonderful bygone days and nights. Whether your story is funny, poignant, or wistful, we're sure the audience will love our story-slam trip through time as they vote for the best story. The winning storyteller will receive a prize. Following ticket purchase, email [email protected] to enter the storytelling contest.
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  • Sunday July 28th 03:00PM - Borscht Belt Cabaret
  • Borscht Belt Serenade
  • The Borscht Belt famously launched the careers of countless comedians who went on to influence American entertainment. But Route 17 wasn’t just the road to comedy - there was also music. Broadway’s Jill Abramovitz takes us through some of the hits performed by Catskills crooners over the decades. From “Makin’ Whoopee” to “Love will Keep us Together,” the show serves up a big bowl of Borscht Belt tunes with a dollop of history. Created by Gideon Evans and Jill Abramovitz.
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  • Sunday July 28th 03:00PM - Market Street Studios
  • How to Write Funny
  • Join the New Yorker’s famed humor writer Patricia Marx and comedy writer Sarah Rose Siskind for a hilarious conversation about putting the punchline to the page. During their talk, Sarah & Patty will make 47% of the audience funnier by 43%, 11% of the audience funnier by 92%, and the rest of the audience less funny by 87 1/5%. Will the audience as a whole be funnier or less funny when they leave? When will they leave? Come find out, but make sure you sit in the right seat.
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  • Sunday July 28th 05:00PM - Market Street Studios
  • Paradise Lost: Capturing The Borscht Belt
  • Photographer Isaac Jeffreys takes us on a mesmerizing journey through his critically acclaimed work in the Catskills. Inspired by the mid-century peak of the resort era and its untimely demise, Jeffreys seeks to create images that reflect the artifice of the past through highly staged, meticulously illuminated night photography. This talk will take the audience through a unique moment in time, with previously unseen images from the famed era of celebrities, under-recognized architecture as well as contemporary photos, followed by a short Q&A.
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  • Sunday July 28th 05:00PM - Borscht Belt Cabaret
  • The Jackie Mason Musical
  • The Jackie Mason Musical is based on the playwright's 10-year off-beat romance with comedy legend Jackie Mason and features a hilarious cast of characters, including lovechild comic Sheba Mason and Off-Broadway star Ian Wehrle as Jackie. The story takes place in Miami Beach circa 1977 and at The Concord Hotel circa early 1980s, with 16 original songs which include “Ode to The Early Bird Special," “I Never Met This Yenta” and “The Finger," and highlights the romantic misadventures of Jackie Mason as Broadway stardom emerges and Sheba is born.For more about the musical, visit the site here.
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