Fallsburg Expanded History
The story of the tourism industry in Sullivan County, particularly in the Town of Fallsburg, is vast and vibrant. From its boarding houses to its later large hotels and resorts, Fallsburg was a major hub of the Borscht Belt. This segment of Route 42, known as “Hotel Row,” led to about 79 hotels and 107 bungalow colonies. One of the first Fallsburg hotels was The Flagler. The Flagler family opened it as a Christian resort in the 1870s. In 1908, Carrie Flagler Angel sold the hotel to Jewish developers Fleischer and Morganstern, who retained the family name in hopes that guests would believe it was connected to the numerous luxury hotels built in Florida by oil tycoon Henry Flagler. Flagler’s Florida hotels inspired a genre of Borscht Belt hotel design. The architectural style was characterized by stucco, pastel colors, arched windows and parapets. Later known as Sullivan County Mission style, the design was favored at many resorts. Other notable area destinations were the Ambassador, Eldorado, and Lebowitz Pine View hotels, and the Phyl-Bob Colony Day Camp.
women of the borscht belt: jean sevush, owner of the eldorad
Written by her daughter, Marilyn Silfen
Jean ( Scher) Sevush was born in NYC in 1917. She was working as a furniture buyer in the Bronx when she met her future husband Phil Sevush , who was the dining room Maitre’D at the Fallsview Hotel in Ellenville. It was 1947 and the Catskills was the place to meet for NY Jewish singles. Jean had planned to vacation at the Nevele Hotel across the road, but she didn’t have a reservation , so checked into the Fallsview instead.
As an eligible bachelor, Phil met a teacher who had to return to NYC, but she left her mother at the hotel to keep an eye on him. At the age of 34 and a Navy veteran of WWII , he didn’t appreciate being followed and spied on - so, enter Jean and exit the teacher. Jean and Phil married in 1948 and had a daughter in 1950 and a son in 1952. They spent the summers at bungalow colonies when he was the Maitre’D at the Homowack Lodge and Kutsher’s Country Club - until they had the opportunity to become hotels owners in 1958.
The Hotel Zeigers in Fallsburg was for sale at the Home National Bank, which is now the site of the new Borscht Belt Museum. They bought the midsize ( capacity 350 ) hotel on 110 acres for $400,000 with partners Jerry and Max Slutsky. Jean had a flair for the dramatic, so she renamed the hotel The Eldorado , the “ Futuristic Resort.” They aimed to attract a young family oriented crowd with an exceptional day camp and rock shows featuring acts like the Shirelles and the Drifters. They ran the hotel for 10 seasons until 1967, when it met the sad fate of many Catskills resorts.
The wives of hotel owners carved out roles for themselves that best suited them. Max’s wife Gladys supervised the kitchen and Jerry’s wife Claire was the cashier in the office. Jean wore two hats - out of view of the guests she made up guest rooms, laundered linens, plated salads, emptied ash trays and cleared cocktail glasses. In the evening she’d transform herself into a Marvelous Mrs. Maisel character wearing chiffon and sequined cocktail dresses from Loehmanns with a chic, silver bouffant hairdo.
She was perfectly cast to greet and schmooze with guests and entertainers in the Lobby, the Jubilee Room Nightclub and the Tic Toc Lounge. Dressed is his tuxedo Phil would introduce the comedian and the singer for the 10:30 PM show. But first, there was always dancing. Phil and Jean would join their guests on the nightclub stage for a foxtrot during the Champagne Hour before the show.
Like many women of the Borscht Belt , Jean was equally capable of handling both roles - hands on resort worker and elegant hostess of the Eldorado. Jean Sevush passed away in 2012 at the age of 95. She never tired of recalling her days as a hotel owner during the Golden Age of the Catskills.
