We Met at Grossinger’s is an immersive journey through the Jewish Catskills—once known as the Borscht Belt—reviving the iconic resort that inspired Dirty Dancing and defined an era of Jewish American life.
The screening will be followed by a conversation with producer, Robert Friedman, and Jennie Grossinger’s granddaughter, Susan Etess moderated by Emmy award winning co-host of The View and Guild Hall Academy of the Arts Member, Joy Behar.
Throughout decades of prejudice stifling the integration of Jewish immigrants in America, the Borscht Belt in the Catskills provided an oasis of belonging, and Grossinger’s Resort and Hotel was the crown jewel. The real-life inspiration for the setting of the 1987 classic film Dirty Dancing, Grossinger’s provided both a physical and mental getaway where Jews—and others from marginalized communities—needing a break from NYC could relax.
The resort’s growing reputation attracted a wide variety of comedians, athletes, and political figures, including Mel Brooks, Jerry Seinfeld, Jackie Robinson and Eleanor Roosevelt. Award-winning filmmaker Paula Eiselt (Aftershock, 93Queen) resurrects this vanished world with an immersive warmth, providing a timely reminder of the historic richness of Jewish culture and its immeasurable contributions to American life.
Joy Behar
Joy Behar is an Emmy award winning co-host of The View. Acting TV credits include Baby Boom, and Woody Allen’s Crisis in Six Scenes. She has performed stand-up comedy for over thirty years and appeared in several films, including Nora Ephron’s This is Your Life, and Woody Allen’s Manhattan Murder Mystery. In theatre, she starred in Nicky Silver’s The Food Chain, and The Vagina Monologues. She wrote and starred in her own one woman show, Me, My Mouth, and I, which ran at The Cherry Lane Theatre. Most recently, she wrote a book, The Great Gasbag: An A to Z Guide to Surviving Trump World. She is currently writing plays during the pandemic to keep her sane.
Sponsors
Promotional Partner: Jewish Center of the Hamptons
Performing Arts programs are supported by 2026 season sponsors Galia Meiri-Stawski and Axel Stawski, with additional lead support from Henry and Peggy Schleiff, The Melville Straus Family Endowment, Monica and Peter Tessler, and Vital Projects Fund.
Guild Hall’s Performing Arts programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Additional support provided by Friends of the Theater: Natascia Ayers, Bonnie and Joel Bergstein, Gene Bernstein and Kathy Walsh, Amy Cooney and Marty Feinman, John and Joan D’Addario, Lynn and Richard Feinson, Suzanne and John Golden, Hilarie and Mitchell Morgan, Steve and Susan Pesner and Peace, in memory of Michéle Pesner, whose entire life was devoted to all aspects of culture, The Schaffner Family Foundation, Lisa Schultz and Ezriel Kornel, Stacey and Oliver Stanton, Susi and Peter Wunsch, and Mrs. George Yates.
