Free Republic

Even before the New York State Thruway was built, there was the Red Apple Rest on Route 17 in the Hamlet of Southfields in the Town of Tuxedo. People who remember the iconic restaurant in its heyday stopped by the iconic site to watch the symbolic end of an era, as a portion of the old 1930's restaurant was torn down. "Every time we'd be out doing our thing back in the day, this was our stopping hole to eat," says Morgan Grant, from Suffern. The Orange County landmark was once a thriving business that put the hamlet on the...

Beloved Borscht Belt comic and actor Freddie Roman, best known for his roasts as part of New York City’s Friars Club and later Comedy Central, died at the age of 85 on Saturday, his family said. Roman suffered a heart attack in Boynton Beach, Florida, his daughter confirmed to Deadline. The comic had spent most of his life in show business after he was given the opportunity to emcee at his uncle and grandfather’s Crystal Spring Hotel in the Catskills when he was just 15.

Jackie Mason, the sometimes-controversial standup comedian who unapologetically embraced Jewish themes and political incorrectness, achieving a national profile through a series of successful one-man shows on Broadway without substantial work in film or television, died Saturday in Manhattan. He was 93. The New York Times said his death was confirmed by his friend Raoul Felder. Mason was one of the last of the Borscht Belt comedians, and he married that sensibility to strong views on racial and ethnic politics. He also recurred on “The Simpsons” as the voice of Rabbi Hyman Krustofsky, the father of Krusty the Clown, winning his...

The Borscht Belt is an indelible part of American Jewry’s legacy, but it may never have come about without these industrious immigrants – and the antisemitism that motivated themThe Nosher via JTA — Many home cooks this past year, in an Instagram-inspired spirit, upped their challah-baking game with new braiding patterns, interesting flavors and vibrant colors. Yet it was a more standard ingredient that unwittingly connected many to their roots. If you used Fleischmann’s yeast for your challah, you leavened your dough with the essence of American Jewry. The Fleischmann family’s story echoes the experience of many other immigrant...

A fire over the weekend swept through a condominium complex in the Catskills that was once the Brown’s Hotel, where Jerry Lewis and other comedians entertained crowds of vacationing New Yorkers. The fire began around 6 p.m. Saturday and moved quickly through the complex, destroying seven of nine buildings, Steven Vegliante, the town supervisor of Fallsburg, N.Y., said in an interview on Sunday. About 100 people were in the buildings and were evacuated, he said, noting that many were staying at a makeshift shelter at Sullivan County Community College. “We’re just pleased that no one died and no one was...

According to Jackie Mason, anyone who watched Tuesday’s debate and didn’t think Fred Thompson won doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Watch Jackie's video here.

So, you've been sleazing around Free Republic for a couple years, tossing out morsels of your precious humor to the unappreciative swine? Think you're pretty funny? Well, here's your chance to put your mouth where, well, your mouth is! If you got what it takes to keep your head above water with other comics in a one hour unscripted comedic slamfest of the weeks news, FReepmail me. We go live tomorrow at 3pm est. Tell your friends then for God's sake, leave me alone. And ya, we're funny two...