In New York City, the summer heat is inescapable. The air is thick, too heavy for a breeze nor any moment of temporary relief from the waterfall of sweat running down one’s back. There’s no commercial A/C unit powerful enough to contend with the mid-July sun over the five boroughs — and if you dare kick yours up to full blast, you’ll be rewarded with a fat bill from Con-Edison at the end of the month. In times like these, there’s only one thing to do: Pack your bag and head to Grossinger’s Resort in the heart of the Borscht Belt.
Never mind Grossinger’s officially closed its doors in 1986. Thanks to the new documentary “We Met at Grossinger’s,” viewers can transport themselves back to the iconic, deeply nostalgic Jewish retreat in the Catskills.
Directed by Paula Eiselt, “We Met at Grossinger’s” tracks the history of the Catskills resort from its roots as an early 20th-century boardinghouse run by a Polish Jewish immigrant family to its peak as a haven of Jewish culture that inspired “Dirty Dancing.” Through interviews with the Grossinger family, engaging animation and archival photos and footage, the full picture of the Grossinger’s comes to life.
At the center of this story was Jennie Grossinger, the matriarch of Grossinger’s and the “Queen of Hospitality.” What began as a specifically Jewish leisure space in a time when systemic exclusion of Jews in American public life was the norm, under Jennie’s management became a place dictating the culture at large. Figures like Jackie Robinson, Eddie Fisher and Eleanor Roosevelt visited Grossinger’s. The art of stand-up comedy flourished there, too. Milton Berle, Mel Brooks, Joan Rivers, Billy Crystal and Jerry Seinfeld all honed their chops on stage at Grossinger’s before becoming household names.
“The Borscht Belt wasn’t just a place — it was a spirit of resilience and joy that helped shape American entertainment and social life,” Paula explained in a press release. “Collaborating with the Grossinger family and uncovering this forgotten history — my own history — has been an act of joyful reclamation. These hotels were more than vacation spots; they were spaces of inclusion and cultural affirmation, built in defiance of exclusion.”
She concluded: “Today, that story feels more urgent than ever.”
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