Travelers heading to the Catskills on Thursday evenings this summer will once again have a convenient place to daven Mincha, as the Tefilas Mordechai Mincha Area officially opens for the season.

Beginning this Thursday and continuing every Thursday throughout the summer, the Mincha Area will operate from 6:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. at the Spring Valley Marketplace, located just one minute off Exit 14 of the New York State Thruway.

Unlike last year’s small indoor location, this year’s Mincha Area has been set up in a spacious outdoor tent, with clear on-site signage directing travelers to the davening area. The location provides quick and easy access on and off the Thruway, allowing motorists to stop for Mincha without making a significant detour on their way to the Catskills.

The Mincha Area was first established more than 30 years ago after many travelers were stopping along the Thruway near the former Harriman toll booths to daven. The initiative provided a safer and more organized location for the thousands of people traveling to the Catskills each Thursday during the summer months. In 2010, it was renamed the Tefilas Mordechai Mincha Area in memory of legendary askan Reb Mordechai Friedman, z”l, who devoted countless Thursday evenings to supervising the Mincha Area for many years. Today, his son, longtime community leader Rabbi Abe Friedman, continues that legacy by overseeing the Mincha Area and ensuring it remains available for the many travelers who rely on it each summer.

Today, tens of thousands of travelers utilize the Mincha Area each summer, making it a longstanding Catskills tradition.

Organizers say they look forward to once again providing a safe, convenient place for travelers to daven as they make their way upstate each Thursday evening.