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 pivotal role in the burgeoning hotel scene that would later be renowned as the Borscht Belt. 

Today we recognize this property as “Gan Yisroel New York”, but we now delve into its history of the “Klein’s Hillside Hotel” era, with an article titled “Before Gan Yisroel New York…” which is meant to be sung “Much, much slower” (#camphumor).

Around 1900 a man by the name of Louis Klein purchased property in Sullivan County, in Parksville, New York. Parksville, a booming town on old route 17 was the end of the line for the area in the Catskills they called the Jewish Alps. Initially called The High Hillside Farm House, Klein’s establishment functioned as an inn, providing year-round accommodations to the weary traveler or those looking to get away from the city. This inn was one of several which opened up in Parksville in that era. 

**The Name**

And we now finally understand where the name Klein’s Hillside came from. Mr Klein built a farmhouse on top of a hill overlooking rout 17 and decided to call it Highhill Side Farmhouse but then realized that name doesn’t make any sense in English so he corrected it to The High Hillside Farm House. So he always had in mind to have something with the name implying a high hill. Eventually this led to Klein’s Hillside.

High Hillside Farm House Circa 1931 Yiddish Newspaper.  The first building of the hotel. The High Hillside Farm House functioned as a motel where guests could spend time on the wraparound porch. This building  you see here is now the side entrance to the dining room. 

Birdseye view of the camp today. The original building was at the back of the main building next to the outdoor pool.

Birds Eye view of Klien’s Hillside, 1965. 

In camp today all the buildings are pretty much the same except for some name changes. After you checked into the hotel you drove around the Playhouse/Casino (The Shul) and parked near Eric’s house. 

Yiddish Newspaper, 1922. Translated from Yiddish: “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. Write for information. 

The Forward, May 10, 1931, advertised its spring season. By now, they had renamed it Klein’s Hillside Inn. Eventually, it was just known as Klein’s Hillside. In 1931 they wrote over 25 years which meant the probably started out really small in 1903 even though a later on advertisement they claim to have opened up in the year 1900. 

The side of the main building today. (Need a better picture; please email sblesof@gmail.com ASAP and we’ll update this picture.)

A depiction of the main building, which was built in the 1930s. Guests would drive up, unload, and park their cars up the hill. Today, of course, no cars are allowed on the campgrounds except for the general manager, Ellyeh Dovid. 

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 of the main building. 

The main building circa today. In the 1950s both the main building and the show were renovated. Not much has changed since those renovations, which installed a modern open glass view in the front windows. Incidentally, this worked well for camp safety. On the far right of the first picture, you can see part of the original inn. 

Postcard depicting the front lobby of the main building after its 1950s renovation with a big modern open look. It looks like the mirrors on the beams survived. 

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. (except in 1996 when a tornado was supposed to “Come now” and arrive precisely “Mamesh at 9:30!” and “Really hit camp”. Until today I am shocked and surprised that this was a complete fabrication and just the beginning of bog war!. At first I had my doubts but when I saw Eric pointing to a building standing next to a guy with a clipboard that usually wasn’t in Camp- I was sold.  

**Modernization and Expansion**

By 1920, the stop-off motel inn had evolved into a moderate borscht-belt style hotel, still a small operation with everything running out of one building. The entertainment of those days, referred to as “the casino,” was either a small building in Siberia or a small section within the main building. An advertisement in The Yiddish Forward from June 7, 1920, highlighted its amenities: “Magnificent modern hotel now finished, with all modern facilities, ice and cold water exclusively in each room, shower, beds. Sanitary plumbing. Minutes from the station. All kinds of amusements. Bathing, also playroom, 2000-foot elevation, strictly kosher. Cooked homely and delicious.”

In the 1920s, these establishments catered to the immigrant class who still spoke Yiddish and perhaps celebrated Shabbos as well. Later, they began to cater to the next generation of assimilated American Jews. In the 1940s Friday evening didn’t feel different and Shabbos wasn’t celebrated at all. This shift in clientele reflected broader changes in the cultural and social landscape of the Jewish community in America.

The 1920s also saw the inn rebranded as Klein’s Hillside Inn. The term “Hillside” was a nod to popular naming conventions of the time, similar to the use of “Heights” in Brooklyn neighborhoods. Advertisements from the era showcased the inn’s attractions at its casino (which, despite its name, did not feature gambling). A major event was the dance contests, where a silver loving cup (“becher,” perhaps) was awarded to the best dancers. The casino represented the first iteration of entertainment in the Catskills; it was small and not very grand.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, July 1922.

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

– **L. 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 Kleins 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. (As far as we know to this day he’s the only baby born in camp.) 

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. It caught on so much that it became the theme of Klein’s Hillside. “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 newsletter.

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, but Klein’s Hillside became a formidable team, “kings of the mountains,” that even a non-Jewish hotel refused to play against. These summer games of 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. 

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, 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 attached to the playhouse we now know as the The Canteen. 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 building of the Playhouse (Health Pavilion/Casino). The casino had no gambling, just shows and dances. In the 1950s, the building was renovated. 

Another angle of the Playhouse (Health Pavilion/Casino). 

Circa today, the Shul. 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. He never made it in comedy. 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 in summer 1970.

Circa today, The Shul.  As you see they raised the roof, added rooms on top of the canteen and painted it brown (?), but the corner section is still from the pre-1950s renovation. Update: The brown color was supposed to give it a “rustic look”. 

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. His parents were friends with Jerry Kushner, the owner. Klein’s Hillside was indeed open all year round but the entertainment and shows were only in the summer. (According to Eric AH’s testimony in 1985 to Dovid Halevy Hurwitz Sheyichyeh who became a father today so Mazal tov – they called the infirmary “The Susan” – TBC). Turkey was for the staff – one building for men and the for women. 

Still need to confirm which building was the Prince George and which 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.

”(1). Inside camp joke and not related to the substance of the overall article.

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.