Located halfway between New York City and Albany, at the juncture of the Shawangunk and Catskill Mountains, the village of Ellenville is neither large nor distinguished, but it was once known to the many Jewish families who spent their summers in the area. It is now also home to the Borscht Belt Museum, whose name, Andrew Silow-Carroll writes, comes from the term for

the region in upstate New York that flourished as a Jewish getaway from the early 20th century to the 1970s. And while the Catskills were about many things, they were also about two big things: food and humor. Both were doled out in abundance: heaps of mostly Ashkenazi cuisine, and gobs of entertainment rooted in Yiddish and an urban attitude that learned to let loose in the mountain air.

That humor became as closely identified with “the mountains” as the food. A portrait of Danny Kaye is featured on a wall of “Legacies.” It recalls that the Jewish comic actor, like a slew of other comedians, started as a “tummler” in the Catskills—a combination emcee and social director whose job it was . . .  to keep guests from heading home to the Bronx on rainy days.

Considering the current state of Israel-Arab relations, Ghaith al-Omari writes

First and foremost, no ceasefire will be possible without the release of Israeli hostages and commitments to disarm Hamas and remove it from power. The final say on these matters rests with Hamas commanders on the ground in Gaza, who have been largely impervious to foreign pressure so far. At minimum, however, the United States should insist that Qatari and Egyptian mediators push Hamas’s external leadership to accept these conditions publicly, which could increase pressure on the group’s Gaza leadership.

Washington should also demand a clear, public position from key Arab states regarding disarmament. The Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas endorsed this position in a June letter to Saudi Arabia and France, giving Arab states Palestinian cover for endorsing it themselves.

Some Arab states have already indicated a willingness to play a significant role, but they will have little incentive to commit resources and personnel to Gaza unless Israel (1) provides guarantees that it will not occupy the Strip indefinitely, and (2) removes its veto on a PA role in Gaza’s future, even if only symbolic at first. Arab officials are also seeking assurances that any role they play in Gaza will be in the context of a wider effort to reach a two-state solution.

On the other hand, Washington must remain mindful that current conditions between Israel and the Palestinians are not remotely conducive to . . . implementing a two-state solution.