The Catskills Come to the Berkshires GALA
On Monday, May 12, 2025, at 4 PM, the iconic 100-year-old synagogue, Congregation Ahavath Sholom, invites you to Great Barrington’s Triplex Cinema to share in this historic restoration fundraiser and to bask in an afternoon of unforgettable sights, sounds, and tastes of the Catskills in the 1950s. The event will feature an evocative screening of the documentary “The Catskills,” by filmmaker Lex Gillespie. The Catskill Mountains in upstate New York or the “Borscht Belt”, boomed with resort hotels and bungalow colonies, providing opportunities for all types of vacationers to escape the heat and crowding of urban areas. It was a haven for guests and performers excluded from many resorts at that time, including the most popular and up-and-coming Jewish and African-American comedians and entertainers of the day.
The documentary will be followed by live entertainment by Michael Pizzi, founder of MPZ Productions, and accompanist Bob Shepherd, with a cameo singing appearance by Rabbi Emerita Barbara Cohen. A buffet of small bites, “a bissel the essen,” Yiddish for ‘something to eat,’ catered by GB Bagel, will conclude the event. Ahavath Sholom’s new permanent spiritual leader, Rabbi Jennifer Rudin, will emcee.
Congregation Ahavath Sholom (Love of Peace), still in its original home at 15 North Street, Great Barrington, MA, was purchased to house the members of the newly formed community in 1923 and is the longest synagogue building in continuous use in the Berkshires. The building’s aesthetic, reminiscent of the disappearing late 19th-early 20th century Eastern European synagogue style, has been respectfully maintained over the years by careful repair and restoration.
Now in need of a new roof for its historic home, the vibrant Congregation Ahavath Sholom hopes to encourage the whole Berkshire community to attend this gala event by purchasing tickets at Eventbrite (click the link at the top of this page).
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To contribute to ‘raising the roof’ and securing this treasured landmark for its next 100 years, please go to the second link at the top of this page or send a check to Congregation Ahavath Sholom, P.O. Box 464, Great Barrington, MA 01230.
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Thank you!