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The children of the Catskills generation make a new Jewish home in the Berkshires

JL;DR SUMMARY The Berkshires in western Massachusetts are experiencing a Jewish cultural revival, drawing a new generation of Jews, many of them from urban centers like Boston and New York, who are attracted by the area's natural beauty and cultural offerings. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish HolidaysJewish CommunityChabadNew YorkJewish FederationBostonCatskillsCultural RevivalBerkshiresTanglewood

Places mentioned

Lenox, Massachusetts, United States
"LENOX, Massachusetts The new Chabad of the Berkshires here is just down the road from Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and just off the main street (called Main Street) where Ethan Frome, the title character in Edith Whartons 1911 novella, took an ill-fated sled ride with his wifes cousin."
Massachusetts, United States
"But in recent years, theres been a Jewish metamorphosis in western Massachusetts, most notably in the summers."
Dalton, Massachusetts, United States
"Kaufman, who grew up in Dalton, just east of Pittsfield, the regions biggest town."
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, United States
"A huge General Electric complex, since shuttered, brought more Jews to Pittsfield, which has two synagogues, Congregation Knesset Israel (Conservative) and Temple Anshe Amunim (Reform)."
Great Barrington, Massachusetts, United States
"In Great Barrington, at the southern end of Berkshire County, theres the egalitarian, lay-led Berkshire Minyan that uses the Conservative prayer book, and Hevreh, a Reform synagogue that celebrated its 50th anniversary in June."
North Adams, Massachusetts, United States
"To the north is the Reform Congregation Beth Israel in North Adams."
Adams, Massachusetts, United States
"(Fun fact: The Berkshire in Berkshire-Hathaway comes from a cotton plant in Adams.)"

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Cairo Item ID 58810
Cairo Source ID 42
Retrieved 2025-08-07 18:00:32 UTC
Curated 2025-08-07 19:00:24 UTC