A new resident of the Catskills, I have been learning about the area. There have been lots of trips, explorations and conversations. But a local history done by scholars? Is there a better way to get the bigger picture? Possibly – but for this book nerd, please give me the scholarly history!
In 1995, Abraham D. Lavender and Clarence B. Steinberg wrote Jewish Farmers of the Catskills: A Century of Survival. At the time Lavender was a professor at Florida International University and Steinberg was a public affairs specials in the Department of Agriculture. Both have since passed way, yet their work remains relevant, all these years later. This book is the kind of resource that helps pull pieces together, that gives a context and shape to a region. The Catskills may be famous for its Jewish resorts, but there is rich tradition of farming that played a critical role in the area’s development.
Jewish Farmers is carefully researched, drawing upon primary sources and first-person accounts of the Catskills. The approach is chronological, beginning with a reminder that for centuries many Jews have held farming dear. The tradition was not accidental. Leaders made conscious efforts, especially in the decades of mass migration to the US, to encourage Jewish farmers. Around 1880 the first Jews arrived in the Catskills. While initials numbers were not great, the population increased steadily as Jewish communities grew and farmers opened small bungalows on their farmland. These brought more people to the area as a boardinghouse became a regular fixture of the family’s acres.
The Great Depression hit the community hard. However, thanks to cooperative arrangements and diversification of income (farming and resorts/hospitality), many in the Jewish community managed to get by relatively well compared to others. By the 1940s Jewish farmers were active contributors to the war effort, and in the years after WWII, greater wealth and the consolidation of farms led to more changes. The farms became larger, with specializations in dairy and chicken. Some made the switch to full-time resorts as changing economics dictated new ways of finding profit. The book is very strong on matching trends with individual accounts. The authors did a great deal of on the ground research. They explain, too, how other changes reshaped the county. Perhaps more than their gentile counterparts, Jewish farmers tended to embrace the innovations promoted by Cornell University Extension. In a word, Jewish farmers were quicker to innovate and tap new technologies.
That commitment to educational opportunity also meant that Jewish children were more likely to attend college. Ironically, that meant that many did not want to maintain the family farm or even remain in the area. By tracking the stories of individual families, Lavender and Steinberg explain the difficulties of day-to-day agricultural life. They also note the deep patriotism and the many efforts in the county to create a more tolerant atmosphere. The book concludes in the 1960s, with some references to changes after the resorts began to close.
The legacy of Jewish farming extends well beyond names and resorts. The Jewish community’s roots in the Catskills still has an impact on economics (Sullivan County, NY, is one of New York State’s leaders in dairy and egg production) and culture. We owe Lavender and Steinberg thanks for getting this vibrant history recorded and published.
David Potash