HAPPY MEMORIES
from page 41
from the early.farm resorts, and the
gallery will show the images that came
after that. People who view the exhibit
will see narratives written by Bea Kraus
to give the background of what is
being shown."
Sheila Fidelman, who married into
the resort business and still lives in
South Haven, looks forward to seeing
people she knew as tourists. Visitors
will find that the original property of
her family's resort holds the Orthodox
Camp Agudah and Fideland, an
amusement park operated by her son.
"The resort was a labor of love and
full of marvelous families," says Sheila
Fidelman, who remembers comedian
Arte Johnson among the entertainers
who got their start at her family's
place. "The closest thing today to what
we had then would be cruises. Our
guests had three fabulous meals with
an orchestra show, and there would be
swimming and other activities during
the day."
Members of the Fidelman family
bought the property in 1911 as a fruit
farm and soon started putting up sum-
mer guests. With 10 bedrooms in the
house, the family decided to rent
rooms. An increasing demand for
space resulted in the building of little
shacks and then the resort in 1929.
As the business expanded, Sheila and
her husband, Irving, took care of the
office and entertainment with other
family members holding other assign-
ments. A fire closed their resort in the
1980s. Ultimately, the advent of air
conditioning and air travel cooled the
interests of South Haven's prospective
Jewish tourists.
Camaraderie
"None of the resorts is still standing,"
says Bea Kraus, who researched her
book by working in the local library,
asking for information through Jewish
and area newspapers and talking to
South Haven residents.
"There are condos and
homes where a number
of the resorts were."
Kraus, a retired
teacher who learned
about South Haven
through a friend and
bought a summer home
0
Left: Early photo
of South Haven's
First Hebrew
Congregation
Below: Tables set
for Friday night
dinner at
Mendelson''
0 Atlantic Resort
0
0
there, fills her pages with
stories that go beyond the
resorts, bringing personali-
ties and other businesses
into the mix.
"Most of the information
from my book has been
used for the exhibit," says
Kraus, who sells her writing
projects through her Web
site,
www.bkrausbooks.com . "I
was asked to write the book
by members of the First
Hebrew Congregation."
Shirley Rosenberg, who
grew up working in her
family's Baron's Resort and
now lives in Brighton, will
be in South Haven for the
exhibit festivities and also
hopes to see people she
knew from those earlier
times.
"I was at the resort until
1946, when I was 25, and I
liked the camaraderie of the
people who came every
year," says Rosenberg, who
met her husband in South
Haven. "I managed the din-
ing room and sang with the orchestra.
I remember when the late comedians
Martha Raye and Buddy Lester stayed
with us."
Lynda Warshawsky, a former
Detroiter and now a member of the
Historical Association and the Jewish
congregation, has lived in South
Haven for 12 years and remains excit-
ed by the interest of the general com-
munity in the exhibit and activities.
"We are all working together for
these events," says Warshawsky, sharing
responsibilities with Debbie Ehrlich
and Debbie Zuckerman. "The com-
munity is encouraging groups to •
understand the Jewish presence."
Gerald Cook, of Farmington Hills,
remembers Mendelson's Atlantic
Resort when it was run in part by his
aunt and uncle, Harriett and Ben
Teitel, and has made his reservations
for the June 26 festivities, some he
helped plan.
Cook, a Detroit attorney, holds
responsibility for the Teitel Trust, man-
aging the funds that have become one
financial legacy his uncle designated
after devoting his energies to the South
Haven resort. Cook decides which
Jewish organizations will receive dona-
tions.
"I have helped the South Haven
planners connect with the Jewish
Historical Society and used money
from the trust fund to pay for the tent
that will be put up for the reception,"
Cook says. "If younger people have
seen the movie Dirty Dancing, they
will know what the Jewish resorts were
like.
"When I was considerably younger
and went up there, it was great. I'm
looking forward to walking around
with my wife, Barbara, and my brother
and sister, who also will be at the
events. There are so many people with
so many happy memories, and there
are so many new places to see." El
"Catskills of the Midwest — The
Jewish Resort Era in South
Haven runs June 17-July 31 at
the South Haven Center for the
Arts, 600 Phoenix St. Gallery
hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Tuesdays-Thursdays, 10 a.m.-4
p.m. Fridays and 1-4 p.m.
Saturdays-Sundays. (269) 637-
1041. The reception runs 11
a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, June 26, at
the First Hebrew Congregation,
249 Broadway. $8 for brunch.
(269) 637-8456.
For more information, go to
www.historyofsouthhaven.org or
www.southhavenmi.com .
6/16
2005
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