CATSKILLS OF THE MIDWEST register here
Wow! Did you know that there was a time and place in Michigan that had Jewish summer resorts just like the Catskills and the movie Dirty Dancing? Join us on Sunday, April 7th from 4:00 to 5:30 PM for a
unique program that combines entertainment and learning.
More about the program: In the late 1800s, South Haven, Michigan was called “The Atlantic City of the Midwest”. Its white sand beaches, and a lake that 
often seemed more like an ocean, gave it that reputation. Jewish
immigrants, who came to the area as farmers in the late 1910s
and early 1920s, began converting their farms to summer resorts.
The area then became known as “The Catskills of the Midwest”.
Ed Fidelman, whose grandparents were among the first Jewish
farmers mentioned above, will narrate as he takes you on a multi-
media pictorial and video journey recalling the area’s rise, fall and
resurrection as a popular vacation destination. In addition to
historical information on the area and its Jewish community, he
will recount his personal experiences growing up with each
summer spent at Fidelman’s Resort, which was, in Ed’s humble
opinion, the crown jewel of the South Haven resorts until its
closing in the early 1980s.
Above: The original Fidelman farmhouse – 1914