5 stars
5/5 on Amazon
4.4 stars
4.4/5 on Amazon

Welcome to the Kutsher’s: The Last Catskills Resort

Kutsher's Country Club was the last surviving Jewish resort in the Catskills.  One of the legendary Borscht Belt hotels during its heyday, Kutsher's was family-owned and operated for over 100 years.  Exploring the full Dirty Dancing-era Catskills experience through a close up look at Kutsher's rise and fall, 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, an NBA All-Star tradition, 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 the non-stop whirl of recreational activities.

And as the Catskills decline, this film provides unprecedented eye-witness documentation of Kutsher's from its 100th anniversary season through the next seven years until the hotel is sold and demolished in 2014. The story of Kutsher’s is uniquely American, unexpectedly moving and a vital chapter – previously unexplored – of the modern Jewish experience.

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Caroline Laskow and her husband Ian Rosenberg directed and produced the documentary, “Welcome to Kutsher’s: The Last Catskills Resort,” which explores this [Dirty Dancing] connection, offering an immersive, fly-on-the-wall look into the Kutsher’s Hotel and Country Club, from its beginnings as the Kutsher’s Brothers Farm House in 1907, through its heyday in the mid-20th century, and then to its closing last year.

ABC News
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Anyone who spent time in the Jewish Catskills hotels ... must see the new documentary, Welcome to Kutsher's. Not only will the film transport you back to the glory days of your youth and thousands of memories, but it will also make you long for a world that is now lost forever. ... Thank heavens for this wonderful documentary.... Do not miss this film. Trust me.

The Algemeiner
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At some point this summer, there will be rain, or a traffic jam, or a sharknado, and you’ll decide to stay home. And when you do, we recommend making a brisket and watch Welcome to Kutsher's. It won’t be quite the same as a trip to the Catskills, but you also won’t have to worry about Patrick Swayze shtupping your daughter.

Heeb

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