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53-498: The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is an amphitheatre , performing arts center and museum located at the site of the 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair in Bethel , New York . Located approximately 90 miles (140 km) from New York City , the 800-acre (3.2 km) site includes a 15,000-seat outdoor concert venue, a 1,000-seat outdoor terrace stage, an intimate 440-seat indoor hall, and

106-405: A Yiddish name for self-catered boarding houses) flourished. The bungalows usually included "a kitchen/living room/dinette, one bedroom, and a screened porch" with entertainment at the casino, the communal center, being simple: bingo or a movie. The kuchaleyns were often visited by lower middle-class and working-class Jewish New Yorkers. Because of the many Jewish guests, this area was nicknamed

159-424: A central arena surrounded by perimeter seating tiers. The seating tiers were pierced by entrance-ways controlling access to the arena floor, and isolating it from the audience. Temporary wooden structures functioning as amphitheaters would have been erected for the funeral games held in honour of deceased Roman magnates by their heirs, featuring fights to the death by gladiators , usually armed prisoners of war, at

212-658: A golf course. It closed in 2015 and was renovated and turned into the Hudson Valley Resort and Spa, which closed in 2018. The property was sold in May 2019 to Hudson Valley Holding Co. LLC. The company did not announce its plans for the hotel. As of the 2010s, the region is a summer home for many Orthodox Jewish families. Some of the hotels have been converted into rehab centers , meditation centers or Orthodox Jewish hotels and resorts. The former Homowack Lodge in Phillipsport

265-541: A natural sloping lawn that can accommodate up to 10,500 people. The outdoor Terrace Stage, near the museum, has space for up to 1,000 people, and the Woodstock Festival Field can accommodate up to 30,000 people. Other venues at the center include 440-seat indoor Event Gallery, the 132-seat Museum Theatre, The Market Sheds event space, and two classrooms. The Museum at Bethel Woods opened in June 2006. It aims to explore

318-719: A particular rock formation naturally amplifies or echoes sound, making it ideal for musical and theatrical performances. An amphitheatre can be naturally occurring formations which would be ideal for this purpose, even if no theatre has been constructed there. Notable natural amphitheatres include the Drakensberg Amphitheatre in South Africa , Slane Castle in Ireland , the Supernatural Amphitheatre in Australia , and

371-568: A secondary factor: "anti-Semitism declined, so Jews could go other places." Access to the area improved with the opening of the George Washington Bridge and upgrade of old travel routes such as old New York State Route 17 . On the other hand, passenger train access ended with the September 10, 1953 termination of passenger trains on the Ontario and Western Railway mainline from Roscoe at

424-514: A sense of community for working and vacationing Jews. The era exerted a strong influence on American culture, particularly in the realm of entertainment, music, and sports. Some of the most well-known and influential people of the 20th century worked and vacationed in the area. Beginning around 1960, the Borscht Belt began a gradual demise due to many factors including the growth of suburbia, inexpensive airfare, and generational changes." As of 2024,

477-416: A unique program to place 20 vertical interpretive highway markers strategically sited to tell the story of the Borscht Belt and interpret the specific locations. The markers are enhanced with QR pegs for more in-depth explanations. A self-guided audio tour system is being developed. The markers are double-sided with representative images. All carry an interpretive text about the specific area on one side and

530-539: Is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ἀμφιθέατρον ( amphitheatron ), from ἀμφί ( amphi ), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and θέατρον ( théātron ), meaning "place for viewing". Ancient Greek theatres were typically built on hillsides and semi-circular in design. The first amphitheatre may have been built at Pompeii around 70 BC. Ancient Roman amphitheatres were oval or circular in plan, with seating tiers that surrounded

583-743: Is one of the county's larger economic development programs, despite the initial controversy surrounding some of its funding. A Bethel Woods report from 2018 indicated that $ 560.82 million of spending has been generated in New York. With 2.9 million visitors since 2006 and 214,405 visitors in 2018, an equivalent of 172 full-time jobs exist as a result, which includes direct wages of $ 5.1 million from Bethel Woods in Sullivan County. 41°41′50″N 74°52′40″W  /  41.69722°N 74.87778°W  / 41.69722; -74.87778 Amphitheatre An amphitheatre ( U.S. English : amphitheater )

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636-561: Is popular in many Central and Eastern European countries and brought by Ashkenazi Jewish and Slavic immigrants to the United States. The alliterative name was coined by Abel Green , then editor of Variety , and is a play on existing colloquial names for other American regions (such as the Bible Belt and Rust Belt ). An alternate name, the Yiddish Alps , was used by Larry King and

689-580: Is satirical: a classic example of borscht belt humor. After the expansion of the railway system including the tracks Ontario and Western as well as the Ulster and Delaware Railroad , the area of the Catskill Mountains became a tourist destination because of the beauty of the landscape, which impressed the painters of American Romanticism , and because of the rising popularity of fly fishing in its trout -rich rivers. As New York City streets would bake in

742-455: The Yiddish Alps or Solomon County (a malapropism of Sullivan County ) by many people who visited there. A sufficient choice of Jewish cuisine was an important feature of the hotels in the Borscht Belt, and "too much was not enough" developed as a notion. Jonathan Sarna wrote: "To understand the emphasis on food, one has to understand hunger. Immigrants had memories of hunger, and in

795-584: The Catskill's Borscht Belt tourism industry. That same year, the Foundation purchased the original 37-acre (0.15 km) Woodstock festival field and hundreds of acres surrounding it, with eventual plans for an arts center. In 1998, the Foundation hosted a three-day festival on the site named "Day in the Garden", and in 1999 hosted a four-day celebration of the 30th anniversary of the original Woodstock. Planning for

848-583: The Doox of Yale , continue to regularly tour the Borscht Belt. Between 2013 and 2018, the decaying state of the abandoned resorts was captured by several ruins photographers : The tradition of Borscht Belt entertainment started in the early 20th century with the Paradise Garden Theatre constructed in Hunter, New York by Yiddish theater star Boris Thomashefsky . A cradle of American Jewish comedy since

901-697: The Red Rocks and the Gorge Amphitheatres in the western United States . There is evidence that the Anasazi people used natural amphitheatres for the public performance of music in Pre-Columbian times including a large constructed performance space in Chaco Canyon , New Mexico . Borscht Belt "In its heyday, as many as 500 resorts catered to guests of various incomes." These resorts, as well as

954-404: The (by now demolished) Gibson Amphitheatre and Chicago International Amphitheatre . In other languages (like German ) an amphitheatre can only be a circular performance space. A performance space where the audience is not all around the stage can not be called an amphitheatre—by definition of the word. A natural amphitheatre is a performance space located in a spot where a steep mountain or

1007-454: The 1890s ... Tannersville ... was 'a great resort of our Israelite breathren [ sic ]' ... from the 1920s on [there were] hundreds of hotels." The larger hotels provided "Friday night and holiday services as well as kosher cooking", thus supporting religious families to take a vacation in accordance to their customs. Borscht Belt hotels, bungalow colonies, summer camps, and kuchaleyns (kuch-alein, literally: "Cook it yourself",

1060-447: The 1920s, the Borscht Belt entertainment circuit has helped launch the careers of many famous comedians and acted as a launchpad for those just starting out. Comedians who got their start or regularly performed in Borscht Belt resorts include: Borscht Belt humor refers to the rapid-fire, often self-deprecating style common to many of these performers and writers. Typical themes include: The Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project

1113-481: The 1960s. Another source also confirms that "cheap air travel suddenly allowed a new generation to visit more exotic and warmer destinations." More women remained in the workforce after marriage and could not take off for the entire summer to relocate to the Catskills. A Times of Israel article specifies that "the bungalow colonies were the first to go under, followed by the smaller hotels. The glitziest ones hung on

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1166-592: The 5th century and of staged animal hunts in the 6th, most amphitheatres fell into disrepair. Their materials were mined or recycled. Some were razed, and others were converted into fortifications. A few continued as convenient open meeting places; in some of these, churches were sited. In modern english usage of the word, an amphitheatre is not only a circular, but can also be a semicircular or curved performance space, particularly one located outdoors. Contemporary amphitheatres often include standing structures, called bandshells , sometimes curved or bowl-shaped, both behind

1219-407: The Borscht Belt bungalow colonies, were a popular vacation spot for New York City Jews from the 1920s through the 1960s. By the late 1950s, many began closing, with most gone by the 1970s, but some major resorts continued to operate, a few into the 1990s. The name comes from borscht , a soup of Ukrainian origin (made with beets as the main ingredient, giving it a deep reddish-purple color) that

1272-555: The Catskills division of Hatzalah was founded which covers the Borscht Belt and served the needs of a growing Orthodox clientele; as of 2020 a volunteer force of 450 rescue workers and paramedics is operating a fleet of 18 ambulances. Although financially independent from the other chapters, it cooperates in day-to-day business with Central Hatzalah of NYC as the 17. neighborhood and also with State Forces (police, forest rangers, emergency medical services, fire departments). Many Buddhist and Hindu retreat centers have been constructed on

1325-620: The Catskills, the food seemed limitless." The singles scene was also important; many hotels hired young male college students to attract single girls of a similar age. One book on the era contended that "the Catskills became one great marriage broker." Borscht Belt resorts stood in towns such as Liberty , Fallsburg , Mamakating , Thompson , Bethel and Rockland in Sullivan County as well as Wawarsing and Rochester in Ulster County. Such resorts included Avon Lodge, Brickman's, Brown's , Butler Lodge, The Concord , Grossinger's , Granit,

1378-779: The Heiden Hotel, Irvington, Kutsher's Hotel and Country Club , the Nevele , Friar Tuck Inn, the Laurels Hotel and Country Club, the Pines Resort, Raleigh Hotel , the Overlook, the Tamarack Lodge, Shady Nook Hotel and Country Club, Stevensville, Stier's Hotel, and the Windsor. Some of these hotels originated from farms that Jewish immigrants established in the early part of the 20th century. Two of

1431-508: The Museum at Bethel Woods. Concerts run June through September and feature many types of music genres. In 1996, Alan Gerry , a longtime Liberty, New York , resident and founder of Cablevision Industries , created a not-for-profit organization named the Gerry Foundation with the intent of revitalizing the economy of Sullivan County , which had faced severe hardships following the collapse of

1484-693: The Program has completed and sited nine markers in Sullivan County - Monticello, Mountain Dale, Swan Lake, Fallsburg, Kiamisha Lake, South Fallsburg, Hurleyville, Bethel, and Woodridge. Loch Sheldrake, Parksville, Livingston Manor, and Ellenville are being prepared for 2025. Six additional markers are planned for 2026. The Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project is funded by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation. The Heiden Hotel in South Fallsburg

1537-493: The area of the Roman Empire . Their typical shape, functions and name distinguish them from Roman theatres , which are more or less semicircular in shape; from the circuses (similar to hippodromes ) whose much longer circuits were designed mainly for horse or chariot racing events; and from the smaller stadia , which were primarily designed for athletics and footraces. Roman amphitheatres were circular or oval in plan, with

1590-492: The arts center, designed by architectural firm DLR Group , began in 2002, and construction on the $ 150 million project started two years later. The amphitheatre opened on July 4, 2006, with a performance by the New York Philharmonic . On August 13, 2006, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young performed before 16,000 fans at the new center, 37 years after their historic performance at Woodstock. For their encore, they performed

1643-505: The central performance area, like a modern open-air stadium . In contrast, both ancient Greek and ancient Roman theatres were built in a semicircle , with tiered seating rising on one side of the performance area. Modern english parlance uses "amphitheatre" for any structure with sloping seating, including theatre-style stages with spectator seating on only one side, theatres in the round , and stadia . They can be indoor or outdoor. About 230 Roman amphitheatres have been found across

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1696-467: The context of Woodstock. The 7,000-square-foot (650 m) museum includes a 132-seat high-definition theater and a 4,300-square-foot (400 m) gallery, as well as classrooms, a cafe, a museum shop, and a patio. A special exhibit gallery opened in 2009. The Museum, and Bethel Woods Museum Development Group CEO Michael Egan, were the recipients of a 2010 Thea Award for excellence in themed entertainment. Bethel Woods offers programs nine months out of

1749-539: The following common text about the Borscht Belt on the other side: "From the 1920s through the early 1970s, the Borscht Belt was the preeminent summer resort destination for hundreds of thousands of predominantly east coast American Jews. The exclusion of the Jewish community from existing establishments in the 1920s drove Jewish entrepreneurs to create over 500 resorts, 50,000 bungalows and 1,000 rooming houses in Sullivan County and parts of Ulster County. The Borscht Belt provided

1802-640: The funeral pyre or tomb of the deceased. These games are described in Roman histories as munera , gifts, entertainments or duties to honour deceased individuals, Rome's gods and the Roman community. Some Roman writers interpret the earliest attempts to provide permanent amphitheaters and seating for the lower classes as populist political graft, rightly blocked by the Senate as morally objectionable; too-frequent, excessively "luxurious" munera would corrode traditional Roman morals. The provision of permanent seating

1855-462: The land or in the restored buildings of former camps or resorts to serve adherents in New York City, the establishment of which has then drawn even more temples and centers to the area. This led to the coining of the nicknames "Buddha Belt," " Bhajan Belt" and "Buddhist Belt" to refer to the area's revival. Despite the region's decline as a cultural epicenter, a handful of traveling acts, such as

1908-513: The larger hotels in High View (just north of Bloomingburg ) were Shawanga Lodge and the Overlook. One of the high points of Shawanga Lodge 's existence came in 1959 when it was the site of a conference of scientists researching laser beams . The conference marked the start of serious research into lasers. The hotel burned to the ground in 1973. The Overlook, which offered rooms in the main building as well as bungalows, spiced up with entertainment,

1961-594: The longest" with some continuing to operate in the 1980s and even in the 1990s. Bungalow colonies fell into disrepair or many of the nicer ones have been converted into a housing co-op . The Concord Resort Hotel , which outlasted most other resorts, went bankrupt in 1997 but survived until 1998 and was subsequently demolished for a possible casino site. By the early 1960s, some 25 to 30 percent of Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel visitors were not Jewish, nevertheless it closed in 1986. The Stevensville Hotel in Swan Lake

2014-418: The music festival, which is about two-thirds of the museum's scope, the museum offers exhibits, personal stories and a multimedia experience about various aspects of the 1960s, including music, fashion and political protest. It focuses on issues such as the baby boom , Cold War , Vietnam War , Civil Rights Movement , and the assassinations and riots that occurred during the decade, all of which contribute to

2067-530: The northern edge of Sullivan County, through the Borscht Belt, to Weehawken, New Jersey . A 1940 vacation travel guide published by the railroad listed hundreds of establishments that were situated at or near the railway's stations. The following year, the New York Central ceased running passenger trains on its Catskill Mountain Branch. The area suffered as a travel destination in the late 1950s and especially by

2120-665: The property for $ 2.2 million and began to operate the Satmar Boys Camp , a religious summer school ( yeshiva gedolah ). In 1987, New York City mayor Ed Koch proposed buying the Gibber Hotel in Kiamesha Lake to house the homeless. The idea was opposed by local officials and the hotel instead became the religious school Yeshiva Viznitz. The Granit Hotel and Country Club, located in Kerhonkson, boasted many amenities, including

2173-465: The song "Woodstock". The on-site museum, exploring the 1969 Woodstock festival and the culture of the 1960s, opened in June 2008. In 2012, Bethel Woods was spun off from the Gerry Foundation into its own 501(c)(3 ) public nonprofit . The next year, the site opened a conservatory dedicated to expanding youth and teen education programs. Bethel Woods features a 7,500-square-foot (700 m) main stage called The Pavilion, with 4,500 covered seats and

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2226-613: The stage and behind the audience, creating an area which echoes or amplifies sound, making the amphitheatre ideal for musical or theatrical performances. Small-scale amphitheatres can serve to host outdoor local community performances. Notable modern amphitheatres include the Shoreline Amphitheatre , the Hollywood Bowl and the Aula Magna at Stockholm University. The term "amphitheatre" is also used for some indoor venues, such as

2279-418: The summer and air-conditioning was not yet available, people flocked to the Catskills. In the early 1900s, some hotels' and resorts' advertisements refused to accept Jews and indicated "No Hebrews or Consumptives " in their ads. This discrimination led to a need for alternative lodging that would readily accept Jewish families as guests. Visits to the area by Jewish families were already underway "as early as

2332-541: The summer in a bungalow settlement in the Catskills and visits with his son at the nearby The Pines resort. In the second season of the series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–23), both the Weissman and Maisel families spend a summer vacation at Steiner's Resort in the Catskills, depicted by Scott's Family Resort on Oquaga Lake in Deposit, NY . Also, Jason Reitman 's historical dramedy film, Saturday Night (2024), depicts

2385-490: The unique experience of the 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair and its significance as a culminating event of a decade of radical cultural transformation, along with the continuing legacies of both the 1960s and Woodstock. Permanent exhibits include The Sixties, The Woodstock Festival, Three Days of Peace and Music, and Impact of Woodstock & The Sixties, each featuring film and interactive displays, text panels, and collections of artifacts. In addition to information about

2438-622: The year. Opening the center helped revive tourism, which suffered in the region following the closure of many resorts following the decline of the Borscht Belt . Sullivan County has struggled with the legacy of Woodstock, and officials hoped the museum would help with reconciliation. The opening of the performing arts center in 2006, led to increased development in Bethel, along the Route 17B corridor, and in nearby Kauneonga Lake (formerly North White Lake), and

2491-690: Was converted into a summer camp for Hasidic girls. Officials of the state Department of Health ordered the property evacuated in July 2009, citing health and safety violations. The Orthodox Jews who flock to the region each summer provide commerce that the area would not have otherwise. The Flagler Hotel, Nemerson, Schenk's and Windsor Hotels in South Fallsburg, and the Stevensville Hotel in Swan Lake, were converted into Jewish religious summer camps. In 1984,

2544-439: Was founded by Marisa Scheinfeld, a noted Borscht Belt historical photographer, author, and Borscht Belt documentarian, in 2022. Scheinfeld had photographed the detritus of the former Borscht Belt hotels, bungalows, and historically important sites. She recognized the complete absence of any historical interpretive roadside markers documenting the sites of the former Borscht Belt. The Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project initiated

2597-549: Was located on the shores of an artificial reservoir of the West Branch Mongaup River which fed a tannery since the 1840s. It was commissioned in 1924 and managed by the Dinnerstein and Friehling families until around 1990. It reopened as Swan Lake Resort Hotel in 1999 offering Asian cuisine plus Tennis & Golf facilities but only survived until 2007. In 2015 the ultra-Orthodox Congregation Iched Anash bought

2650-639: Was no standard size; the largest could accommodate 40,000–60,000 spectators. The most elaborate featured multi-storeyed, arcaded façades and were decorated with marble , stucco and statuary. The best-known and largest Roman amphitheatre is the Colosseum in Rome , also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre ( Amphitheatrum Flavium ), after the Flavian dynasty who had it built. After the ending of gladiatorial games in

2703-459: Was operated by the Schrier family. The Borscht Belt reached its peak in the 1950s and 60s with over 500 resorts, 50,000 bungalows, and 1,000 rooming houses but the start of a decline was apparent by the late 1960s. "Railways began cutting service to the area, the popularity of air travel increased, and a younger generation of Jewish-Americans chose other leisure destinations." Another source mentions

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2756-486: Was the film location of the 1987 movie Sweet Lorraine starring Maureen Stapleton . It was destroyed by fire in May 2008 while no longer hosting guests. In the same year, the movie Dirty Dancing replayed the heyday of the Borscht Belt in an upscale resort. The plot was inspired by the screenwriter's experience as a teenager in the summertime community at Grossinger's . In the graphic novel Maus: A Survivor's Tale (1991), Art Spiegelman 's father Vladek spends

2809-594: Was thought a particularly objectionable luxury. The earliest permanent, stone and timber Roman amphitheatre with perimeter seating was built in the Campus Martius in 29 BCE. Most were built under Imperial rule, from the Augustan period (27 BCE–14 CE) onwards. Imperial amphitheatres were built throughout the Roman Empire, especial in provincial capitals and major colonies, as an essential aspect of Romanitas . There

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