Jewish Geography vis-a-vis V.

[davemarc]

It would be a shame to discuss V. and Judaism without noting TRP's sharp
satire of the good folk dwelling in the Five Towns section of Long Island.
The Five Towns still exist; they're (more or less) on the South Shore of
Nassau County, a 25 minute drive (more or less) south-southwest of the North
Shore region where TRP grew up.  

Much of the Jewish population living in the Five Towns area would vacation
in Catskills resorts located northwest of New York City, not far from Cornell. 

As for the Brazilian's excitement over fighting for Israel, it's probably
relevant to note that the period during which TRP wrote V. was one in which
the Jewish State enjoyed much more popularity than it does now, particularly
among those Catskills vacationers (who in the late 1950s and early 1960s
could often be found reading Leon Uris's 1958 novel Exodus while relaxing in
Adirondack chairs).

davemarc