It is not every day that downtown Ellenville sees a small fleet of government-issue black SUVs. On Tuesday they appeared on Canal Street, parked out front the Borscht Belt Museum. A number of men in suits and ties were already in place as a small gathering of local people appeared to witness Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling visit the museum.

Federal officials at this level are very rarely seen in southwest Ulster County although, as is well-known, President Johnson visited inaugurated the Ellenville Hospital in 1966, paying back the loyalty shown to him by Congressman Joseph Resnick. The visit on Tuesday, August 17, by Sonderling was a homage to his grandparents and parents, who stayed regularly in bungalows during the Borscht Belt days.

Sonderling developed a specialty in employment practices and relaxation of penalties for employers who self-report on violations while serving on the “Wage and Hour Division” during the first Trump administration. He led Trump’s second transition for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In January 2025 he was named as Trump’s nominee as Deputy Secretary of Labor. He remained in that role while Lori Chavez-De Remer was the Secretary of Labor. Following her resignation after accusations of poor judgement, Sonderling stepped up into the role.

Sonderling’s family connection to the Borscht Belt began with his grandparents, who arrived in America after World War Two having survived the Holocaust. Sonderling remembers visiting a bungalow as a child. Sonderling recalled the way his family came to the area and said that his father had texted him a whole slew of things to mention: “Every summer K&Ks bungalows, then Greenberg’s in Monticello, then he was a soda jerk at the Evans hotel and a waiter at the Concord, then he drove a cab for Mendels Cabins in Fallsburg.”

“When I was really little, we came up here once to Loch Sheldrake,” he said. “I have vague memories of a little staircase and then of the kitchen. So, this is meaningful for me to come and visit you.”

The visit continued with a tour of the museum, including the completely appointed bungalow kitchen in the rear. After the tour and look at a video of Borscht Belt memories, it was time for the Acting Secretary of Labor to depart, and three large black SUVs heading back south down Route 209.

“We were really pleased that the Acting Secretary chose to come and see the museum. He seemed passionate about the history that we are dedicated to preserving here,” Andrew Jacobs, President of the Board of Directors of the Museum said afterwards. “The museum touches so many people. Millions came up here to the hotels and bungalows, and the memory lives on.”