Crown Heights History: History; Before Gan Yisroel New York….

by Crown Heights Historian Shmully Blesofsky VIA his Instagram account History of Crown Heights.

(TTTO) Klein’s Hillside, Parksville, New York. 

by Shmully Blesofsky

In the early 20th century, numerous Jewish immigrants who had made New York City their home sought refuge from the sweltering, unairconditioned urban environment and the pervasive antisemitism that barred them from mainstream hotels outside the city. As a result, Jewish-owned inns and hotels began cropping up in Sullivan and Ulster counties, specifically designed to accommodate Jewish travelers with kosher cuisine and a hospitable environment. 

One such establishment emerged in Parksville, New York, situated along route 17. Despite its humble beginnings, this inn played a role in the burgeoning hotel scene that would later be known as the Borscht Belt.  Today we recognize this property as our beloved “Camp Gan Yisroel”, but we now delve into its history when “Klein’s Hillside” was built. 

Around 1900 a man by the name of Louis Klein purchased a farm in Sullivan County, in Parksville, New York. Initially called The High Hillside Farm House, Klein’s establishment functioned as an inn for people to stay at his farmhouse. This inn was one of several Jewish establishments which opened up in Parksville.

The Hebrew Standard, June 1907. The inn started off as a farm and he may have worked at a butcher shop. Most of his patrons were Yiddish speakers who lived in New York. To book a room back then you would need to stop by the butcher shop at 79 Christie St on the Lower East Side. 

Forverts, June 1907. “One of the nicest places in Parksville. Strictly kosher. Plenty of milk butter eggs and milk from our own farm. Our place has a good name. For rooms, inquire with Louis Klein.

Farm Almanac And Buyers Guide, 1917

High Hillside Farm House Circa 1931 Yiddish Newspaper.  The first building of the hotel. The wraparound porch is where guests could sit and watch the cars passing by the old 17 main highway. This building is now the side entrance to the dining room. 

The side of the main building today. (Updated picture coming soon).

Birdseye view of the camp today. The  location of the original main building

Birds Eye view of Klein’s Hillside, 1965. The original hotel building was in the back of the main building near the outdoor pool. I also added all the original building names.

Yiddish Newspaper, 1922.“Magnificent modern hotel now finished, with all modern storm facilities, ice and cold water exclusively in each room, shower beds. Sanitary plumbing. Minutes from the station. All kinds of amusements. Bathing, playroom, 2000-foot elevation, strictly kosher. Cooked haimish and delicious.”

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, July 1922. In the 1920s hotel activities were run out of a small space called The Casino and seems like the main attraction those days was the dance competition where you can win a silver loving “becher” cup. 

The Forward May 1931, By now, they had renamed it Klein’s Hillside Inn. “Outstanding result over 25 years/satisfied guest/modern building in an excellent location. All sports utilities. Dietary laws observed.” This implies they opened in 1905 although a later ad claims they opened in 1900. 

Main building. Built in the 1930s. Guests would drive up, unload, drive around the playhouse and park their cars down the road. 

Facebook Catskill Memories. The main building circa 1940s. The Newler family stands in front of the main building. The tarp can still be found stored in the basement.

The main building today. In the 1950s the main building was renovated and has remained untouched since. Klein’s Hillside installed a modern open glass view in the front windows. Which incidentally worked well for camp safety. On the far right of the top picture, you can see part of the original inn. 

Postcard 1950s picture of the main building front lobby after its 1950s renovation with a big modern open look. This is where guests checked into the hotel.

Postcard depiction of The Ronday Room which is the basement of the main building, one floor down. It was used as a banquet hall and for late night shows. For whatever reason camp never used it.

The Klein family played a pivotal role in the inn’s development. Key figures included:

– **Louis Klein**: The founder.

– **Hyman Klein**: Director and manager.

– **Murray Klein**: Contributed to the inn’s growth.

– **“Mama Klein”**: Renowned for her exceptional home cooking, which became a hallmark at Klein’s Hillside.

– **Nathan “Nat” and Gertrude (Weiner) Klein**: Continued the family tradition.

– **Larry Klein**: The next generation of the Klein legacy. He was born and raised at Klein’s Hillside in 1929.

In the 1930s, Klein’s Hillside expanded by adding another wing to the main building, becoming a mid-level destination for Jewish families escaping the sweltering heat of New York City. Though it was not a fancy hotel and had mooseheads on the dining room walls, it offered a homely feel that set it apart from larger competitors like Grossingers or Kutchers. 

Accessible by train and later by bus or car, Klein’s Hillside provided a safe and enjoyable retreat for its guests. The focus was on food and entertainment, which remained the bedrock of the hotel’s appeal. 

Despite its modest size, Klein’s Hillside carved out a niche by offering a comfortable, family-friendly environment that drew visitors year after year.

In the 1950s, Klein’s Hillside started a new trend. When the Kleins sold in the late 1940s, the hotel was taken over by a man named Ben Fishman, who was a sports fanatic. Klein’s Hillside was the first hotel to host sporting events. The people loved it “Rumor has it that guests at the Hillside come first for basketball and then for their food and other pleasures,” writes Haskel Cohen in some Midwestern newspaper.

Ben Fishman built a professional basketball court on top of the hill with bleachers to watch the much-anticipated games. Other hotels quickly caught on to this trend and many hosted their own sports teams. Klein’s Hillside however became a formidable team, “kings of the mountains,” that even some non-Jewish hotel teams refused to play against them. These summer games at Klein’s Hillside in the 1950s were spoken about for years. 

In those days, professional basketball players were not paid like they are today, so many of them would take summer jobs. The basketball players worked as wait staff and, much like today, they would get paid with tips. Imagine Michael Jordan (#1995) being your waiter. When the salary for professional basketball players went up, they no longer needed summer jobs, and the sports teams dissolved.

Postcard circa 1950s. Klein’s Hillside Athletic Field. Ben Fishman was the sports fanatic who built a big professional basketball/Handball court surrounded by bleachers. 

Today the basketball court built by Ben Fishman is now renamed Camp Gan Israel Athletic Field 

Circa today. Still used as a basketball court today, except they repainted it with Camp Gan Yisroel Athletic Field.

**The Shul**

By 1939, nearing the end of the Great Depression, hotel owners needed to keep up with their upwardly mobile jewish clientele. Klein’s Hillside announced the construction of a health pavilion, which eventually became the building we now know as The Shul. This multifunctional structure, also referred to as the Playhouse or Casino, was central to the resort’s social life, hosting shows, dances, and other fun events. By the 1950s, the building had been renovated to include modern amenities and a large, polished hardwood dance floor. The Coffee Shop (canteen) was adjacent to the playhouse. Legend has it that the furniture in the canteen has never been updated since its inception.

1939 Daily News announcing the construction of a health pavilion. The health pavilion was renovated in the 1950s and is now the camp Shul.

Postcard depicting the original building of the Playhouse. You’re looking at the camp Shul from the vantage point of where learning classes are held today. To the left of this building they later built The Debra.

The Playhouse in the background which is now the camp Shul. 

Another angle of the Playhouse.

Circa today, the Shul. The playhouse was renovated and expanded in the 1950s to what it looks like today. The canteen on the right was called the Coffee Shop, where they would sell food to people coming out of the late-night shows next door. The Tumbler (MC in Yiddish) was Freddy Owens. The coffee shop closed anytime between 11 PM and 2 AM. Coffee was 10 cents, and the food was  technically kosher, although I’m sure Avremul Shemtov had the place kashered (twice) before the kids pulled up for opening summer 1970.

Circa today, The Shul.  As you see they raised the roof, added rooms on top of the canteen and painted it brown for a “rustic look”, but the corner section is still from the pre-1950s renovation. 

In the late 1940s, the Klein family sold the hotel and established Klein’s Bungalow Colony in Kiamesha. Ben Fishman, who introduced sports as a key feature of the inn, initially took over its management. His son, Jerry Fishman, who is remembered fondly by those who dealt with him, took over the hotel until it closed. In the late 1960s, they built The Beth, a state-of-the-art brand new building with an indoor pool. They built The Beth mostly in anticipation of the upcoming legalization of gambling in upstate New York. When this failed to materialize, it bankrupted the hotel, and after close to 70 years in operation, Klein’s Hillside closed its doors.

Postcard depicting the Debra which was the newest fancy building to stay at before The Beth was built. 

The Beth

Brand new indoor swimming pool in the Beth. Looking at this picture I still smell chlorine and suddenly feel fearful of a well known bal tzedakah living in Florida named Reb Tzvi Bogomilsky. 

In the 1960s anticipating the legalization of gambling, the hotel invested heavily and constructed a state-of-the-art, three-story building with an indoor swimming pool and possibly a schvitz. This new addition was the crown jewel of Klein’s Hillside, featuring the most expensive rooms at the resort and aiming to usher in the next iteration of the Borscht Belt, which would include legalized gambling.

Klein’s Hillside had evolved significantly over the years, transitioning from room houses to an inn, adding casino entertainment, building bigger playhouses, opening resorts, and finally establishing nightclubs. Legalized gambling was seen as the next chapter in this progression. However, the legalization effort was rejected, leaving Jerry Fishman financially overextended.

“We’re going to have the largest mortgage in the mountains,” Fishman told a New York Times reporter, highlighting the financial strain caused by the failed gamble on gambling legalization. 

The myth in camp that the buildings were named after the owners’ children is confirmed by Alan Kushner who stayed at the Beth – Room 21 in the 1960s. His parents were friends with Jerry Fishman, the owner. Klein’s Hillside was open all year round but the entertainment and shows were only in the summer. Turkey was for the staff – one building for men and the for women. 

The infirmary was called the Prince George and the Bal Shem Tov was the Terrence building.

In 1969 Camp Gan Yisroel was looking for new grounds. The previous year the camp location required crossing a road to get to the pool, which the Rebbe disapproved of. When the Klein’s Hillside property became available, a small group of Hasidic upstarts who survived communism during WWII, led by Avremul Shemtov, purchased the property, and Camp Gan Yisroel Parksville, New York, was born.

Due to its budget constraints in its early years, not much was altered. As time went on, Camp was able to build bunks on the way up the hill, and in 1996 installed a brand new outdoor pool. In recent years, they even bought the adjacent property.

I welcome any and all corrections to the article and I hope it sparks interest to find out a lot more of the history of the 70 years of Klein’s Hillside…“Before it was Gan Yisroel…” 

**Conclusion**

Klein’s Hillside stands as a testament to the resilience and ingenuity of Jewish immigrants in America. From its humble beginnings as the High Hillside Farm House to its zenith as a bustling hub in the Borscht Belt, the inn not only provided a sanctuary for Jewish families but also contributed to the cultural and social fabric of upstate New York. 

Today, its legacy and buildings continue to evoke nostalgia and pride among those who experienced its unique charm both for those who now live in Long Island or Florida and went to Klein’s Hillside in their younger years or those who live in ‘Brooklyn and beyond’ taking over the world with their multitudes of jewish outreach centers and who called Gan Yisroel Parksville New York  home in their formable years.

1957 video of a family dancing by the pool overlooking Route 17 and then kids playing skatch-batch overlooking the outdoor pool.

Copyright (c) Shmully Blesofsky all right reserved.