The Borscht Belt Museum Opens this Summer

The Borscht Belt Museum, a project spearheaded by Reboot network member Andrew Jacobs and given seed funding by Reboot Studios, celebrated its public launch in April with a groundbreaking extravaganza at the museum’s newly acquired home in the Catskills town of Ellenville, N.Y.  The museum, a decade in the making, will celebrate all the rich and delicious facets of the Borscht Belt era — the comedy, the cuisine, and the era’s influence on modern Jewish-American identity and the evolution of stand-up comedy.  

This summer, the museum will also unleash Borscht Belt Fest, an annual performing arts and food festival in Ellenville that will take place July 28 and  29. The event, made possible through a grant from Reboot Studios, is the brainchild of numerous Reboot network members, among them: David Brendel, Lacey Schwartz Delgado, Eddy Portnoy, Adam Kantor, Rebecca S’manga Frank and Avi Amon. 

The festival will feature heaps of stand-up comedy, live music, panel discussions, film and a rollicking street fair featuring dozens of food vendors offering modern reinterpretations of Jewish culinary classics. Mark your calendars, and in the meantime, stay tuned on Instagram and Facebook!