WELCOME TO KUTSHER’S:
THE LAST CATSKILLS RESORT

Caroline Laskow and Ian Rosenberg

DESCRIPTION: This documentary film presents Kutsher’s Country Club, the last surviving Jewish resort in the Catskills. One of the legendary Borscht Belt hotels during its heyday, Kutsher’s has been family-owned and operated for over 100 years. Exploring the full Dirty Dancing-era Catskills experience—and how it changed American pop culture in the comedy, sports, and vacation industries—this award-winning documentary captures a last glimpse of a lost world as it disappears before our eyes. The Catskills resorts were not only a Jewish refuge and family vacation paradise. They also gave birth to American stand-up comedy, the NBA All-Star Game, and all-inclusive resorts. This film brings to life how Kutsher’s thrived at the center of all this growth and excitement. Watch Wilt Chamberlain both playing ball and working as a bellhop at Kutsher’s, Red Auerbach as the Kutsher’s Sports Director, and Kutsher’s Maurice Stokes benefit game create an All-Star basketball tradition. Laugh with appreciation at Freddie Roman as his classic Borscht Belt routine still brings down the house, and wonder in amazement as Andy Kaufman wrestles a female Kutsher’s guest for $50. Marvel at the abundance of hearty, kosher feasts where no one can get away with ordering just one main dish. And as the Catskills decline and the end of an era draws near, witness a final twist: can an indie music festival reinvent Kutsher’s for a new generation? The story of Kutsher’s is uniquely American, unexpectedly moving and a vital chapter – previously unexplored – of the modern Jewish experience. Welcome To Kutsher’s had its world premiere at The New York Jewish Film Festival at Lincoln Center, and was winner of the Best Documentary Audience Award at Miami Jewish Film Festival in 2012. Award-winning filmmakers Caroline Laskow and Ian Rosenberg will introduce Welcome to Kutsher’s before the screening, and afterwards answer questions about their experiences making the documentary over the last 5 years.


BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Caroline Laskow is the director of Ashtanga, NY an award-winning yoga documentary that premiered at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival, was broadcast internationally and on Discovery’s Fit TV and Lime TV, and is distributed by First Run Features.

Ian Rosenberg was nominated for an Emmy for producing the documentary Finishing Heaven that premiered at the 2008 Los Angeles Film Festival which was broadcast on HBO in 2009. Caroline and Ian are married and this is their first film that they have directed and produced together. They live in New York City on the Lower East Side with their two children who wish they would stop talking so much about Kutsher’s.