He Lost It In The Catskills, Jerry Greenfield, author
I am walking down memory lane and enjoying every moment of it! The stay in the Catskill Mountains was a “rite of passage” for every Jewish family that could get there. There was something for every budget, as in hotels, bungalow colonies, and kuchalayns (a place to stay with communal kitchens). It was a place of refuge where Jews were unequivocally accepted as they were nowhere else. I so enjoyed this book as it took me back in time to a place and moment when we all seemed kinder, friendlier and more able to adapt to differences, to accept “others” without undue fanfare, and when we had no need to tell half the world about how we felt about anything and everything.
The book begins in 1965. Nathan is at his relative’s hotel, Rubel’s Mansion, working as a busboy (he is working “under the table”, since he is not yet eligible for working papers). It ends in 2005, when Nathan returns to the Catskills to settle the sale of his family’s property. As he sees the skeletal remains of the hotel, in South Fallsberg, NY, he has flashbacks of memory and sees the hotel as it was, in all its glory, not as it is now, just skeletal remains. Thirty-five years had passed since he made the memorable journey from boyhood to manhood there, but in his mind, he journeys back in time to relive that summer and all of the life lessons he learned there, in the least likely places, from guests and fellow workers. He tells the story to the reader.
This book is based on the author’s life. Most chapters started with a wonderful joke, the kind we used to hear, minus the filthy language so prevalent in jokes today. It tells the story of a 15, almost 16 year-old’s first real work experience and first real love experience. He comes of age in a place known for providing such moments for all who came there, whether or not they were Jewish. All people were welcome there.
I have to admit that I didn’t know what the title actually meant when I began to read this book. Had I known what it meant, I might not have read it; so many books today are filled with descriptions of sex that I find far too explicit. This was not, however. This was a romp into a world of sheer joy for me and will be for any reader who has ever heard of, or traveled to, the Catskill Mountains. The book describes a time filled with pathos and joy, nostalgia and cynicism, reality and dreams, in short, it tells the tale of life in all its glory and all its indignities. As a former Catskill visitor (very affectionately called The Borscht Belt, by some, and The Jewish Alps, by others), in the same age range as Nathan's mentor and cousin Jeffrey, I fully understood all of the stories and descriptions in the book. The "mountains" was such a remarkable place to go.
1965 was a time when Jewish people could simply not pick up and go anywhere they wanted to go, and this was their Nirvana. It was a place in which they fit! In those days, young qualified students did not get freebies or student loans in order to get a college or university degree. They worked to earn their place in school. They were responsible and expected nothing for free. It was a far more wholesome time in America. The Catskill Hotels provided them with access to jobs, to money and to an experience that matured both the workers and the guests. Many of us came of age there and learned about the world, its success stories and its tales of failure. There were love affairs and some women who were too friendly, and there were waiters who looked to score a mark, but mostly, there was just wonderful food and there were wonderful people. Everything was married to the idea of providing a safe place to have great fun and entertainment. Marriages were made there, friendships endured long past their initial stages. We learned to dance and swim, laugh and cry without shame. It was de rigueur in the Catskill Mountains to be happy.
It was a far more innocent and respectful time. There was no social media, no 24-hour TV, no spike in crime. There was simply camaraderie; there were slow walks in the moonlight; there were fireflies and stars in the sky; . It was a place where the help was worked to death and the guests enjoyed working them to death, lol. Guests sampled every dish, disregarding all of the leftovers, and yes, there was waste. It was expected. The march to the dining room at meal times was as described, the troops gathered and descended. The wonderful smell of fresh rolls and butter in the morning was a smell I have rarely experienced since. My mom, in a swimsuit, appeared on a postcard from the hotel we went to every year. The Red Apple Rest, and the sight of the broken-down cars that couldn’t make it up the hill on Route 17 are moments I will never forget, nor will anyone else who has experienced such moments. I got money to buy treats for the car ride, treats I could not normally have, and five of us sweltered in our "unairconditioned" car, knowing that at the end of the journey, there would be unending pleasure. When the Catskills shut down, a piece of history ended, and a place that had birthed first loves was forced to stage its own sad funeral.
I highly recommend this book to all. It will bring the same pleasure to all readers.