Sketching Out Blog: Sketches of art, watercolor, photos, recipes, books, interviews, Jewish topics, and Highland Park, New Jersey

Over Tea & Sunflower Seeds

First, Esser Agaroth did a great Elections Edition Haveil Havalim.

Now for our featured attraction, a beautiful article written by a Highland Park teen:

Seven years ago my mother decided it was high time we children had a dacha, a summer cottage, just like she did in Ukraine…And so we found a private bungalow in the Catskill Mountains — just around the corner from the lake and crowded Russian colonies, giving us both a social life and some relative privacy. The rather spacious two-bedroom cottage, which we would return to every year, with a large kitchen and lovely deck to the side, at first seemed small, compared to the suburban proportions we were used to.

And it wasn’t just the bungalow that was strange; at first we felt like we were dropped onto an alien planet. We had seen these loud babushkas and their Gucci-parading daughters on trips to Brighton Beach, but never in such large doses. Mornings, we were awakened by the eccentric Russian sculptor’s rooster crowing from across the street. Evenings were spent gossiping over tea and sunflower seeds and listening to the latest imported pop from Moscow.

Read the whole thing, on her mom’s blog or in the Jewish Week.

scroll

Ilana-Davita says

I haad actually read it but not commented. It's well-written for someone so young and the perspective is interesting. Do only Russian Jews go to the Catskills?

Reply
Leora says

There are a lot of Hasidim in the Catskills, but not as many Jews go as used to go in the earlier part of the 20th century. Used to be one was discriminated in other places so one would have to hang out with "members of the tribe." Now Jews can take vacations in Florida or California or wherever, so people who go are those that like the cabin life and hanging out with similar kin. There are still some bungalow colonies of religious Jews.

Reply
Ilana-Davita says

Thanks for the lengthy explanation. When I read Catskills Potok comes to mind.

Reply
Leora says

I'm actually not too knowledgeable about the Catskills. I would recommend Kaaterskill Falls by Allegra Goodman. I knew her when she was in college.

Reply
Ilana-Davita says

I have ordered the book!

Reply
The Babysitter says

I wasn't aware that there was a Russian community that goes up in the summer to bungalows.

Reply
Leora says

Neither was I.

Reply

Please leave a comment! I love to hear from you.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.