‘We Met At Grossinger’s’ Is More Than Just The Story Of A Defunct Jewish Resort—It’s An Affirmation Of The American Dream

Grossinger's sign, Liberty, New York, USA, John Margolies Roadside America Photograph Archive, 1976. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images“We’re going to the Castkills!”If you’ve seen Dirty Dancing or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, then you’re familiar with the Borscht Belt—whether you know it not. Named after the chilled beet soup often associated with Eastern European Jewry, this area of Upstate New York was once the home to several Jewish resorts, which thrived between the early-to-mid 20th century. In all that time, however, one name stood above the rest: Grossinger’s. What began as a quaint boarding house refuge for vacationing Jews barred from frequenting mainstream resorts and country clubs ended up changing the face of American culture in ways no one could have predicted—from the first interracial hug on television to the birth of standup comedy. The rise, fall, and modern-day preservation of the most famous Catskills retreat takes center stage in director Paula Eiselt’s illuminating documentary, We Met at Grossinger’s. Born in the latter half of the 1980s, Eiselt (Aftershock, Under G-d) only ever knew about the “decline” of the Borscht Belt before taking on the project.“I didn’t know about the heyday,” the filmmaker told me over Zoom "Nobody talked about it because … no one cared about this at all. I heard nostalgic stories about how it was so fun to go, but didn’t [grasp] the historical importance until I dug into it … I found out it wasn’t just a place to eat matzo ball soup—it was a historical phenomenon."“It wasn’t only a story of Jews,” agreed producer Robert “Bobby” Friedman of Emmy Award-winning Bungalow Media (The Panama Papers, Little Richard: I Am Everything). “It was really a story of life … [and] as relevant today as it was 50 years ago."MORE FOR YOUPool Area, Grossinger's Resort, Liberty, New York, John Margolies Roadside America Photograph Archive, 1977. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesPacked with insights from members of the Grossinger family, former employees of the resort, historians, and entertainers, the documentary is more than just a simple history of an iconic rendezvous spot for New Y0rk’s Jewish population during times of blatant anti-Semitism. We Met at Grossinger’s is an inspiring affirmation of the American Dream, female empowerment, and the importance of diversity in the face of intolerance.“Paula said, ‘You know, I really want to steep this in some historical milestones,’” Friedman recalled. “The historians that she found were amazing, because they looked at it from all different angles. I think that historical foundation really made this very different than some other Catskills stories [out there].”Opened in the late 1910s by Asher and Malke Grossinger, modest immigrants from Austria, the eponymous resort grew into its fabled reputation under the management of the couple’s daughter, Jennie, whom Friedman described as “the first woman of hospitality."“Jennie was up front, she was the face of it,” echoed Eiselt. “She wasn’t hiding behind her husband, her husband was hiding behind her."Jennie’s fierce commitment to build the family business into something special was the catalyst for Grossinger’s blazing a trail the hotel business has followed ever since. At its height, the resort was the preeminent getaway for food (all you could eat), recreation (pools, skating rinks, even a ski slope), and entertainment (more on that below). “It really was the first all-inclusive resort experience,” noted Eiselt.PARK CITY, UTAH - JANUARY 22: Director Paula Eiselt attends the 2023 Sundance Film Festival Cinema Cafe 3 at Filmmaker Lodge on January 22, 2023 in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images)Getty ImagesWith a sterling track record known across the country, Grossinger’s drew in such high-profile guests as Jackie Robinson (second baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers and first Black man in the MLB), actor Eddie Fisher (who married his first wife, Debbie Reynolds, on-site), and former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. “Jennie’s proudest moments were when she had really prominent politicians and entertainers who were not from the Jewish community come to the resort,” Eiselt shared. “The goal was not to stay in a bubble, but it was also not to erase who you were. If we try to emulate the immigrant drive to assimilate, to contribute, to thrive—while maintaining who you are—I think that’s a great lesson for today."In addition to shattering the color barrier in baseball, Robinson also took part in what is considered to be the first interracial hug ever televised, when he and Jennie embraced on a 1954 episode of This is Your Life celebrating the latter (one of the documentary’s many fascinating revelations that beautifully deepen and contextualize the more surface-level depictions featured in Dirty Dancing and Mrs. Maisel).When Jennie passed away in 1972, her daughter, Elaine (who was interviewed for the documentary), took over running the operation and eventually became the first female president of the American Hotel and Motel Association. “The story that these women did this is very inspiring; to look back and to see these very concrete contributions that were made,” stressed Eiselt.Another notable topic explored in the film is how resorts like Grossinger’s sowed the seeds of modern stand-up comedy by giving young performers like Mel Brooks, Billy Crystal, Jerry Seinfeld, and many others their start onstage. “Stand-up really was born, in many ways, out of the Borscht Belt—and certainly at Grossinger’s in particular,” Friedman said.“Not only did these hotels—specifically Grossinger’s—contribute to American culture in terms of comedy, entertainment, and politics, but on a smaller scale, they were almost like industrial factories," Eiselt said. “The town was built around the hotel and it provided a lot of economic opportunity for everyone who lived there. There was a tremendous investment into the education and the public school systems were fantastic. [There was] a ripple effect outside of this one family."NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 27: Austrian-American hotel executive and philanthropist Jennie Grossinger (1892-1972) poses for a portrait on November 27, 1942 in New York, New York. She is considered as one of the great hostesses of 20th-century. (Photo by Irving Haberman/IH Images/Getty Images)Getty ImagesFollowing its zenith in the 1950s and ’60s, the Borscht Belt experienced a decline from what Friedman called, “The three A’s”—airplanes, air conditioning, and and assimilation—with these once-great resorts either being demolished or falling into states of woeful disrepair. In recent years, however, there’s been an outpouring of renewed interest for the halcyon days of Grossinger’s and its imitators, with museums and festivals cropping up to preserve the memory of what once was.“There’s this resurgence in the area—both in real estate and other things,” Friedman continued. “I think part of it is due to Covid, when people decided to get together, migrate. [They wanted] the safe place-ness, if you will, of what the Catskills originally offered with these kinds of hotels … The Borscht Belt is all of a sudden reborn for some of the same reasons that it was initially built. It’s more than just nostalgia. There is a nostalgia about being there, but I think it’s a deeper story about people wanting to be together, to be safe, to celebrate family."“We wish we can go back to that time for just a little bit of joy, of community, of being proud and celebrating,” concurred Eiselt. “I think it's not just the nostalgia, but it's a longing of a time where things felt better than they are today.”While We Met at Grossinger’s is not currently available to the public, Friedman did promise they are currently working hard on a multifaceted distribution strategy.“There will be a theatrical distribution piece of this as well as a television piece—meaning a streamer or a linear network,” he teased. “But we really want this out as broadly as we can. And thankfully, we have investors who are willing to let us wait and play this out, because it’s kind of a timeless film. There’s not a rush. It wasn’t an event that [just] happened and has to be told and in two weeks.”