Wexler Oral History Project goes to camp!

Some of Tracing the Tribe's best summers were at camp. The memories last a lifetime.

Even those who only spent long weekends or a week here or there at various youth organization activities went home imbued with a sense of camaraderie, new knowledge and singing essential songs together.

The National Yiddish Book Center offers an interesting look at Jewish summer camps. There are videos of oral history interviews, links to the full interview texts and to the Wexler Oral History Project.

Summer camps, then and now, play an important role in identity for American Jews. Various studies of camps - such as one on the Conservative movement's Ramah system of camps - indicate that children who attend Jewish summer camps develop a much stronger identity with their heritage and also are more likely to become leaders in their communities and to maintain a more Jewish lifestyle.

According to the Yiddish Book Center's link:
Among the camps mentioned:

• The Sholem Aleichem Folks Institute, known for its commitment to Yiddish literature, founded Boiberik in 1923.
• Camp Kinderland was founded and was eventually associated with the Ordn Shuln with communist leanings. (The photo above left is of Kinderland)
• The Workmen's Circle founded their socialist summer camp, Kinder Ring.
• The Farband, Labor Zionists, created Kinderwelt around the same time.
• Camp Hemshekh was the Bund's summer camp, founded in 1959 by Holocaust survivors.

Kinderland and Kinder Ring still exist but in different locations.

As everyone who has ever attended a Jewish summer camp knows, each was its own world with its own family. Shared experiences with social values, fun, Jewish culture, shows, plays, camp songs and Shabbat ceremonies all contributed to "family" life. And everyone thought that their camp was the best of all of them.

The Wexler Oral History Project interviewed campers of diverse ages about their summer experiences, including friendships, memories, values and loves.

See the videos at the link above, visit the full texts of these and more at the project's digital archive here.

Learn more here on the Wexler Oral History Project.

When it came to choosing a camp for your children, there were a number of factors to weigh: language, socio-political views, location, and cost. Many New York Yiddishist organizations created summer camps to help people get out of "The Big City" for the summer.

Catskills Bungalow Heritage Museum

While many people joyfully remember their Catskill summers as some of the happiest moments in their lives, there is no physical, visual place to share those memories.

Many Catskill summer kids remember this sign (left). We may have been oblivious to lots of things, but that sign was good to see each year.

Some determined individuals want to change that and create The Catskills Bungalow Heritage Museum.

Phil Brown of the Catskills Institute (which archives information about the region), informed me about this new project

A meeting about the project - whose purpose is the preservation of the heritage and history of bungalow colonies in the Catskills - is set for 11am, Sunday, June 13, at the Mountaindale Firehouse, Mountaindale, New York.

All interested individuals are invited to attend and discuss:

-- Physical acquisition and restoration of at least three original period bungalows.
-- Presentation of furniture, objects, photographs and ephemera from era.
-- Preservation of the history of tenants and tourists of the bungalow colonies
-- Collection of oral histories of former owners and service businesses for the bungalow colonies.

The organizers are Allen Frishman, Evadne Giannini and Raymon Elozua.

We are interested in your ideas and thoughts about such a museum. And we seek support from the local community to develop an initial action plan. We ask if possible to put your thoughts in writing so that the committee will be able to review your recommendations at a later date. We look forward to seeing you there.

Since the 1970s, the bungalow colonies have suffered a severe decline as our nation's wealth and lifestyles have changed. Many colonies were abandoned, demolished or sold for development. In an encouraging sign, a number have survived and thrive today as religious groups seek the same benefits for their members. All in all, a miniscule few remain open for rent to the general public.

The organizers' hope is that the Catskills Bungalow Heritage Museum will become a destination point for families and children who once vacationed in these colonies, creating tourism that will contribute to the economic re-vitalization of Sullivan County.

If you are interested and wish to be kept informed about the project, or wish to share ideas or contacts, email the organizers (above).

The Catskills: Are you a Kauneonga Park kid?

Yes, it's a mysterious headline, but immediately recognizable to any Kauneonga Park kid.

There's now a Facebook page for the place (see below) and although it has been up since January 2009, I just learned about it today!

The Kauneonga Park bungalow colony was created by my grandparents Sidney and Bertha (Talalay/Tollin) FINK, in the hamlet of Kauneonga Lake., Sullivan County, New York.

Entering the town, Mendelson's was on the right, the synagogue set back on a small hill on the left, in the "business center" was the blue-glass fronted Newman's drugstore on the left, the post office on the right and, further down around the lake, a Chinese restaurant that didn't sell food. Hmmmm. The Kenmore Hotel, the summer homes where Neil Sedaka's cousins stayed.

Among Kauneonga Park's claims to fame, besides those great hide-and-seek games at the central telephone pole and the day the cows escaped from the adjacent farm, was the "haunted house" across the road set far back beyond the fields and trees on what was called Amber Lake (although part of White Lake). We were told poisonous water moccasin snakes were in that body of water, so we never went in. Later on, the property was developed with tract homes called Country Club Estates.

To get to our shtetl, one drove up 17B from Monticello about 10 miles. When you reached White Lake (Lapidus bungalows on the left and the movie theatre ahead on the right, you turned right and kept driving around the lake shore. After the Kenmore hotel, you stayed left around the lake, or the right turn would take you into Liberty (where our famous colleague Thomas MacEntee grew up).

The entire area was right in the middle of Sullivan County's Borscht Belt.

The Woodstockers walked right past our property on their way to Max Yasgur's farm, back in the days when most of us were too young to tag along to that historical event. Our connection to Max back then were visits to buy fresh fruit and vegetables.

I mention the place frequently - after all, many cousins were there summer after summer (Aaron the lifeguard, Steve the day camp director) - as well as the families who returned year after year.

It seems there's a New York City reunion on May 20, and there's a Facebook Page (Finks Bungalow Colony) started by Lori Chalfin Turner. Some 75 people are already "friends."

Reading the messages offered many blasts from the past.

Seeing once again pictures with glimpses of the beautiful bungalows, green lawns, the Hollywood-esque swimming pool and the characters who inhabited our very own shtetl was truly nostalgic. I remembered quite a few of the families and I'm indebted to some of the Facebook commenters who reminded me of our shtetl's "neighborhoods" - Hyannis Port, Riviera and Skunks Hollow. I had forgotten those very descriptive names!

Seeing all those red-and-white T-shirts - with a sprinkling of the blue-and-white ones - made me wish I had saved one.

If you are a KP kid and want to know more, search on Facebook for Finks Bungalow Colony, and hie thee to the reunion. Wish I could be there, but I'm not getting in until June 1.

Maybe next year?

Kicking back in California

Northern California is always a favorite stop, and being with good friends makes it even better!

During the day, we (Rosanne, Dan, me) are on our computers working on our diverse projects.

Their apricot tree is covered in sweet juicy fruit; Dan just canned seven jars.

The other day, we went to a water aerobics class in a nearby college's outdoor pool. I look forward to this all year, and hope to get in a few more sessions on this visit.

We've also been enjoying some of the great restaurants in the area - we really need those water aerobics classes now!

We've been to Arya, an excellent Persian restaurant, for classic chelo kabab; a Vietnamese pho (noodles) place that's a lot of fun and very inexpensive. And our favorite - and superb - all-you-can-eat sushi place where we most definitely overdosed!

The other night we stayed home and cooked - I made Persian rice with crispy, crunchy tahdigfrom the bottom of the pot, to eat with chicken slow-cooked in barbecue sauce.

At Arya, we had a separate tahdig portion with classic fesenjan on it - a marvelous sweet-sour walnut-pomegranate sauce that has to be tasted to be believed. Our's was also good!

Next week, Judy Simon of New York will also be in town and I'm looking forward to seeing her.

It's nice to be able to kick back and relax. And, of course, to keep on blogging.