Join author and photographer, Oscar Israelowitz, as he presents a fascinating and nostalgic slideshow of the Catskills. Known as a summer retreat for thousands of New Yorkers for over a hundred years, this program on the Catskills will cover the grand hotels, such as Grossinger's and the Nevele, as well as the famous entertainers who got their start there. Included in the presentation will be information on the Delaware & Hudson Canal; the Ontario & Western Railroad; and finally the Jewish farmers who were the first to reform their farmhouses into boarding houses - the result being the creation of over 1,500 summer resorts.

Mr. Israelowitz is the author of "Welcome Back to the Catskills."

 Mr. Israelowitz is an architectural consultant, and also a professional photographer. His photographic works have been exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and presently, in the permanent collection exhibit at the New York Transit Museum. He conducts guided tours of the Lower East Side, Ellis Island, Hassidic neighborhoods in Brooklyn, and boat tours of Jewish New York City. His tours have been written up in "New York Magazine," "The Washington Post," "The New York Times," and "The Chicago Tribune." He has also been a scholar-in-residence at many resorts and is the author of several books.

This program is free and no registration is required.

This is a "Literary Elements" 2014 Adult Summer Reading Program special event.