The Catskill Mountains, NY (“The Catskills”)

Contributed by: Dani Klein | Last Date of Visit: June 2008

Kosher Info: Situated 90+ minutes (longer if you’re traveling during the weekend rush) north west of NYC, the Catskills have become the summer escape for Jewish urbanites for decades. Over the years kosher places have come and gone, while others still exist, feeding the thousands of Jews who flee the city each summer.

In this post, I will go over eateries, hotels, and markets (including within Bungalow Colonies) which exist in the Catskill region. Each location will be followed by its approximate location and town.

(Please note: Due to the nature of the Catskills, many of these restaurants or markets are not open all year round. Also, many of these institutions come and go. If you know about a recent closing, or a new store opening, please comment to this post and I will make the necessary changes. Thank you.)

Markets, Supermarkets, etc.:

• Beaver Lake Estates, Monticello, concession style market… has capability of serving hot dairy food, often doesn’t.
• Mountain Fruit, Broadway, Monticello… large kosher-only market. Similar offerings to its Brooklyn namesake.
• Aladdin Supermarket – Kiryas Beirach Moshe Bungalow Colony, 184 Hasbrouck Dr., Woodbourne
• All Fresh Supermarket, Rt. 17B White Lake
• Buy Rite Kosher Supermarket, 3 Maple Ave. Woodridge
• Landau’s Supermarket, 2 Railroad Plaza, South Fallsburg
• ShopRite of Ellenville, 100 Shoprite Blvd Route 209, Ellenville
• ShopRite of Liberty, 1955 Route 52, East Liberty
• ShopRite of Monticello, 46 Thompson Sq. Off State Route 42, Monticello
• Woodbourne Supermarket, Main St., Woodbourne

Restaurants, Pizzerias, etc.:

• Fialkoff’s Pizza, 66 Broadway, Monticello… year after year, Fialkoff’s consistently has the best pizza I’ve ever had. Period. Expect a long line during popular times (typically Motzei Shabbat).
• Woodbourne Pizze, 431 Route 52, Woodbourne… often a scene amongst teens and college students Motzei Shabbat, pizza is good.
• Feller’s Woodridge Pizza Cafe & Fish Grill, 9 Broadway, Woodridge
• Flaum’s Shwarma & Appetizing, 5220 Main St., St. Fallsburg
• Glatt Delight of Woodridge, 13 Green Ave. Center One Mall, Woodridge
• Jay & Sharon’s Country Cafe, 5426 Main St. Route 42 North, South Fallsburg
• Kikar Tel-Aviv Restaurant at Vacation Village, Hurleyville Rd. (within Vacation Village colony), Loch Sheldrake
• Main Street Pizza, Main St., South Fallsburg
• Mazal Wok Chinese & Sushi, 436 State Route 52 Main St., Woodbourne
• Meal Mart, Main St., South Fallsburg
• Shawarma King, 279 East Broadway, Monticello
• Simply Sushi Cafe, 343 East Broadway, Monticello
• Simply Sweets Ice Cream & Candy, 343 E Broadway, Monticello
• Sprinkles Pizza & Ice Cream, 5671 Route 42, Fallsburg
• Stargelt, Main St., Loch Sheldrake
• Swan Lake Pizza and Dairy Restaurant, 42 Stanton Corners Rd., Swan Lake
• Yosi’s Pizza, 431 Route 52, Woodbourne

Kosher Hotels

A few kosher hotels exist, but they are not for everyone. Places like Spring Mountain Resort (formerly the Homowack), Raleigh Hotel, and Kutcher’s are popular with families looking to leave the city, but unfortunately, these hotels seem like they have not been updated in decades.

On a recent stay at Kutcher’s by my family (celebrating a Sheva Brachot Shabbat), we observed the hotel and noticed it retains a musty, sometimes moldy smell. The hotel is large, and offers many amenities, but not everything is kept to appropriate standards. The food was quite awful. The place seemed like an old age home, partially due to the clientele, and partially due to the decor and lack of any updates since the 1970′s. The man-made lake out back is swarmed with mosquitoes. If you prefer hard mattresses, this is the place for you. From my previous experiences with other Catskill kosher hotels, like the Homowack, they don’t seem to differ much.

Tourist Info: The attraction for most is getting away from the city’s hustle and bustle. Sadly the few tourist attractions in this region remain the Monticello Raceway and Casino, a handful of golfing greens, and Wal-Mart. You heard me. Wal-Mart. The Monticello Wal-Mart is majorly packed Motzei Shabbat, it’s a massive social scene! The lines can be over an hour long, especially later Saturday night. You may be better off at the bowling alley with the teens.

• Kiamesha Lanes, 4685 State Route 42, Kiamesha Lake   |   (845) 794-5561
• Liberty Lanes, 5714 State Route 55, Liberty   |   (845) 292-6450

Jewish Info: During the summer, this region is bustling with city Jews. Basically every bungalow colony has it’s own shul and set of minyanim, and typically it’s own mikveh. During off-season times, there are still Jewish communities (mainly Chassidish) who live there all year round, however, many of the kosher and other Jewish shops will be closed.

I just came across this site which has a listing of all the bungalow colonies. I can’t believe how many there actually are! Check it out: http://bungalowcolony.us/index.asp?lang=EN

Tags: bowling, bungalow colony, catskill mountains, fialkoff's, jewish travel, kosher travel, kutcher's, the catskills, upstate NY, wal-mart

Shenzhen, China

Contributed by: Gavi Lewy-Neuman | Last Date of Travel: October 2008

Kosher Info:

Essentially, the only kosher food available in Shenzhen is at the Chabad house.  They provide both Friday night and Shabbat day meals free of charge (donations are welcomed).  You may also order meals from them to take away.  Because of its close proximity to Hong Kong (Shenzhen is the border city with Hong Kong) you can easily travel back and forth there to replenish food stocks (but you will need a multiple entry visa to get back into Shenzhen, whereas the Hong Kong Visa is given on arrival).

Tourist Info:

Not the most interesting place, but you can find what to keep you busy with.  There are 2 subway lines to get around, and they cost anywhere from 2-5 Yuan per ride, depending on from/where you are going.  Windows of the World is a popular “theme park” which is similar in idea to Israel’s Mini Israel, only on a much larger scale here. It does not have a cheap entrance fee.  This is located basically down the block from where the Chabad center currently is  – and across the street from WOTW is a big shopping mall of high end stores and other American and European stores.

Shenzhen is the world’s capital for knock-off designer bags.  The LoWu shopping center, located at the beginning of the main subway line, is the first thing you encounter once you have crossed the border form Hong Kong.  There you will find 5 heavily saturated floors with people forcing themselves on you to buy something (they sometimes get physical and grab your arm – so BEWARE! But no one will hurt you – I’d still  recommended the place for the experience).  There you can also get massages and manicures at very discounted prices.  Make sure to bargain for everything! Don’t pay more than 65% of the original asked price, but you can absolutely go lower than 35% even.  About 15 minutes walking from the Chabad Center is a nice lake that is quiet and serene at night, while lit up with lights, and is a good place to go and relax with a beer.

Jewish Info:

Again, Chabad is the only Jewish thing you will find in Shenzhen, and they do have minyanim (almost always) on Shabbat, but not always during the week.  No Mikvah here… must travel to the mikvah in Hong Kong.  To get to the Chabad, go to www.chabadshenzhen.org and print out their address to show to a taxi driver in Chinese.  Most people here won’t speak any English.  The building, while I was there, didn’t have any signage that it held Chabad inside, so my advice would be to contact the Chabad beforehand and ask for help.

Tags: hong kong, jewish travel, kosher china, kosher travel, windows of the world

Beijing, China

Contributed by: Gavi Lewy-Neuman | Last Date of Travel: October 2008

Kosher Info:

There are 2 Chabad centers in Beijing.  The main Chabad house is located in the Chaoyang District, in the northern area, whereas the smaller Chabad center is further south from there (both in the east of Beijing).  I only visited the larger of the 2 centers. There is a kosher restaurant in the same vicinity, called Dini’s Restaurant.  (Note: there is an Israeli restaurant almost next door to Dini’s, and even though it has Hebrew writing on the sign, it is NOT kosher).  The restaurant is meat and delicious and fairly priced.  You may order food “to-go” there.  The Shabbat meals, both Friday night and Shabbat day are eaten in the restaurant as well (not at the Chabad house!).  Go to www.kosherbeijing.com for Restaurant info.

There is a supermarket “chain” (there are at least 2 of them) in Beijing called Jenny Lou’s, and they sell a ton of American products, many of which are kosher.  They even have kosher soy milk there.  I believe there is another supermarket called “Super Center” that also sells a lot of American products.  Exact information can be received from contacts at Chabad.

Suggestion: Bring your own packaged soups that just require added hot water.  A main part of the Chinese culture is soup, and on-the-go most Chinese people will have “cup-of-soup” equivalents, and to cater to that, hot water is available everywhere, even on long distance trains. This goes for everywhere in China. Traditions soups (and its equivalents) will be very helpful in China.

Tourist Info:

Beijing has extensive subway system great for getting around, and any trip, no matter destination costs only 2 Yuan.  The subway is preferable to on road travel due to lots of constant road congestion.

There is plenty to see in Beijing and its surrounding areas.  I would suggest not to miss the Great Wall of China (any part will do – Badaling is the most touristy, and easiest to get to by public transport), The Forbidden City/Tienanmen’s Square (a private guide of the audio guide is well worth the investment – both can be picked up right outside the entrance), and the Olympic village.  Having just hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics, Beijing exhibits great pride in that fact, and the Olympic village, home to the National Stadium (or “Bird’s Nest”) and the Water Cube… all well deserving of a visit.  Get there before 3pm to ensure the ability to buy an entrance ticket to the Water Cube, and before 5pm for the Bird’s Nest.  There is lots more to choose from – read up about it and choose for yourself! Lonely Planet has been a very useful guidebook to lead me around Beijing.

Jewish Info:

Visit www.chabadbeijing.com for full details.  The main chabad has minyanim on shabbat (most of the time) and sometimes during the week.  There is a Mikvah located by the Jewish School about 30 minutes from town (get details from the Chabad family).   Get directions in Chinese and English on the website, and print it out to show to a taxi driver.  The website will also show places to stay within walking distance nearby.  No youth hostels are really within walking distance under an hour, but there is a budgeted hotel called the Home Inn closer by.  The whole Chabad family, including the children really add to the atmosphere and they are very welcoming.  The re are currently 3 Chabadnik girls brought in from France to help with the Shlichut and they too are very much a part of the community.   Chabad Beijing = a really wonderful experience!

Tags: jewish travel, kosher china, kosher travel, olympics

Netanya, Israel

Contributed by: Linda Rosenberg Minkow | Last Date of Travel: November 2008

Kosher Info: Obviously, Israel abounds with kosher, delicious choices. All you have to do is make sure the restaurant has a Te’udat Kashrut (Kashrut Certificate) from the city’s Bet Din. Some places go above and beyond that, getting a certificate for Kosher L’Mehadrin, meaning they are held to an even higher standard of kashrut. If you keep Chalav Yisrael, you’ll still have to ask at dairy places and ice cream parlors, but be assured that in Israel, there is no problem with it being kosher milk.

If you’re staying in the north side of Netanya, like we did, the place to go is Kikar Ha’atzmaut (Independence Square), a block off the beach (discussed below in Tourist Info). You can find any type of restaurant you would want there. Some restaurants have menus in Hebrew and English, others in Hebrew and French, still others in Hebrew and Russian. It’s usually fairly easy to find someone who will understand you.

Since we were staying in an apartment rather than one of Netanya’s famous hotels, we did a lot of cooking at home. However, here are some of my recommendations. My apologies for not having names for most of these places, we were always more interested in the menus and kashrut than branding.

As you enter Kikar Ha’atzmaut, there are a string of French/Moroccan grills. They are all very good and offer free, copious salads and pita or malawach with your meal. Be aware that in the Middle East, kebab does not refer to meat on a sharp stick but rather a spiced ground meat sausage without a casing, what American Israeli restaurants might call a kefta kebab.

Some pizza places serve American style pizza, but the best pizza we had in Israel was a small French-speaking restaurant at the first alley intersection in Kikar Ha’atzmaut. The menu is in French and Hebrew, but it’s pretty easy to figure out. The salads are decent, the pasta dishes are much smaller than they appear on the menu, but the pizza is sold by the 1/4 meter and for a few shekels each, you can add any number of toppings. Toppings include mushrooms, onions, olives, pesto, Bulgarian cheese, feta cheese, fresh tomatoes and much, much more. My husband and I would frequently order a 1/2 meter for dinner with no sides and it was very hot, crunchy crust, extremely satisfying.

Across the Kikar from this pizza place is a very large, delicious ice cream parlor called Tony Ice. The flavors range from your standard vanilla, chocolate, mocha to flavor combinations of different candy bars and popular fruit mixes. They also sell small frozen petits fours made from their ice cream as well. They have an extensive choice of cones, ranging in three or four sizes, dipped in chocolate and some had nuts, sprinkles or more coated on top of the chocolate.

Diagonally across from Tony Ice, there is a small schwarma shop that is also very good.

Almost all these restaurants have outdoor seating in the middle of the Kikar, which is very good for people-watching. It’s the social center of the north side of town. People are out walking around until late at night, kids playing, teenagers horsing around…it’s a fun place to eat and try different places every time you go.

Kosher supermarkets, bakeries and butchers abound. Just make sure to check for the Teudah and/or a Hashgacha on the packaged item. Supermarkets get tricky, especially last year with Shmittah. It can be difficult to buy fruits and vegetables now, even after Shmittah is over, because it is hard to tell if they are selling Shmittah produce, Heter Mechirah , or post-Shmittah produce that is fine for use. We solved the problem by going to a very reliable supermarket on Herzog St. that serves the Sanzer community as well as the larger Netanya community. Everything in the supermarket, from produce to fresh-baked pastries to meats, is reliably kosher. A note about meat: some Sepharadi and Mizrachi Jews buy unsalted meat and salt it themselves according to their own diverse traditions so make sure the meat you buy says ‘muchshar’, meaning salted and ready to eat. There are also many, many prepared food products that are tasty and fairly reasonable in price.

Tourist Info: Netanya has some of Israel’s most beautiful sunsets on the beach. Both the north and south sides of town have beaches. There are fantastic parks and playgrounds running along the cliffs that line the beach on the north side of town. There is even a section of the beach that has separate men’s and women’s hours for the Sanzer chasidim who live a few blocks away from the beach in their own neighborhood. However, despite the sign requesting no driving on Shabbat and modest clothing when passing through, this is no Mea She’arim. You can frequently see Sanzer children playing in the playground or skating areas with other children, Sanzer couples power-walking on the sidewalks near the beach and so on.

Netanya has a wonderful shuk behind the bus station, from which you can get buses around town, to Haifa, Ra’anana, Jerusalem and even Eilat. If you are going to Eilat from anywhere, though, book your tickets in advance or you may not get a seat on the bus. Trust us on this one, we’ve been there. Anyways, the bus to Jerusalem can take anywhere from 1.5 h to 2+ h, depending on how many people get on at each stop and traffic along the way. There are many buses from Netanya to Tel Aviv as well as sherut (taxi vans) that can fit about 10 people and cost only a little more than the bus, but stop less frequently. The drive from Netanya to Tel Aviv is about 30 minutes without traffic and stops, but takes longer when both are present. The bus from Netanya to Haifa taks about an hour without traffic and passes by some truly beautiful areas in the North. Haifa is highly recommended to tour around, as it contains the Baha’i gardens among other tourist attractions. North of Haifa is the Ghetto Freedom Fighters and Yad L’Yeladim museums of the Holocaust, as well as Rosh Hanikra, a beautiful cliff on the border with Lebanon that has famous underwater grottoes and the now-blown-up train tunnel to Lebanon used by the British pre-1948.

Netanya is full of hotels, both fancy and not. There is a very famous glass elevator than runs down to the beach from the cliffs behind the Carmel Netanya hotel. There are many activities offered on and around the beach, including surfing, kayaking, horseback riding, paragliding and boat trips. There are a few museums and lots of galleries in Netanya, including the Well House which tells the history of Netanya. There are plenty of tours that run around Netanya or from Netanya to other places. In addition, Netanya has one of the highest concentrations in the world of black/purple irises (see the second tour), which is a major attraction when they bloom in February and March.

Jewish Info: There are plenty of synagogues throughout Netanya. The closest English-speaking one to us was the Young Israel of Netanya. The regular crowd is usually 60+ plus they were very friendly and helpful to us during our stay, especially the Rabbi. A shul we heard about, but did not attend, is the New Synagogue of Netanya, also know as “McDonalds” because it is located on McDonalds St. The crowd here is younger but still English-speaking. These are the main places to go if you have questions about services, classes, mikvaot and other Jewish concerns.

There are multiple neighborhoods in Netanya, and all have a decent proportion of observant Jews from all backgrounds. This is a town full of the entire gamut of Judaism, from Ethiopians to Moroccans to Chasidim and, of course, olim from England, America, South Africa, Australia, France, Germany, Russia and everywhere else Jews live. It’s a great place to be staying on a trip to Israel and we highly recommend it!

Tags: Israel, jewish travel, kosher netanya, kosher travel, Netanya

Dallas, Texas

Contributed by: Eliezar Eidenbom | Last Date of Travel: August 2008

Kosher Info: Dallas has seen tremendous growth in kosher options in the last few years and now has several kosher restaurants and markets to take advantage of.  Like all cities, kosher restaurants come and go but some are becoming fairly well established now.  The Jewish community in Dallas is primarily in North Dallas between Forest Lane and Plano, which is where you find all your kosher options.  All kosher establishments in Dallas and Fort Worth are under the local Vaad, the DK (Dallas Kosher), headed by Rabbi Klein and Rabbi Shawel. 

Cafe Fino:  Located at the southwest corner of Coit and Campbell, Fino is Dallas’ pizza shop.  it has a wide selection of pizza choices or other entrees.  The pizza here is generally average but the calzones are very good.  The eggplant parmesan and lasagna are also well worth a try.  There are a lot of side dishes and wraps to try as well.  My wife loves their salmon raspberry wrap.  Kids may enjoy Fino fries which are french fries with gravy and cheese on top.  The best deal here is the “Fino fun pack” which is offered on Sunday.  You get an extra large cheese pizza, family size fries, and a pitcher of soda for a little over $20.00.  Fino is also the only place in Dallas opened Saturday night after Shabbat. 

Esther’s Steakhouse:  Esther’s is located at 580 Arapaho road in the back of a shopping strip.  It is somewhat removed from the rest of the Jewish community and can not been seen from the street when driving by.  The owner has redecorated the interior from its previous Americana theme and now has a much better up scale design.  The food is primarily Israeli and Moroccan and is the best tasting meat restaurant in town.  I highly recommend the steak, BBQ ribs, kabob and schwarma.  The Moroccan cigars are a good appetizer.  They also have a bakery which makes fresh deserts, pita, and challah.  The owner, Albert, is very personable and is a great cook.  While the food is excellent the service is slow and difficult to come by sometimes.  Plan to spend some time eating here.  Because of its location it is not frequented nearly as much as the other resteraunts in town and you may be the only people there at dinner time.  The restaurant also discourages bringing kids.  Esther’s is open for dinner only Sunday through Thursday.  If you want a great meal and don’t care about the service or eating by yourself it is well worth finding it.

Natalie’s Kitchen & Market:  Natalie’s is located at the southeast corner of Hillcrest and Campbell.  Natalie’s is a meat restaurant with a primarily Israeli cuisine.  The shwarma and falafel here are very good.  They can be bought in a pita only until 5pm and then they must be bought as a more expensive dinner plate.  The kabobs and steak here are also very tasty but I was not as big a fan of the lamb.  Natalie’s is reasonably priced and has good service and ambiance.  In addition to the restaurant, Natalie’s has a kosher market primarily consisting of products from Israel.  While it is not the only Israeli market in Dallas it is very convenient with the restaurant and has a few items the other markets do not carry.  Natalie’s is a great option if you are looking for a sit down meat restaurant. 

Cafe Carmel:  This restaurant is the closest one to the 635 freeway located at 13410 Preston Road.  It is a dairy restaurant that serves fish, pizza, and an Israeli menu.  The highlight of Cafe Carmel is that it is the only restaurant in Dallas that serves a breakfast menu.  The breakfast menu is very good and served all day.  The pizzas at Carmel are tasty but they are smaller than normal and really only feed one or two people.  Every time I tried the fish here it had a very strong fish flavor that was too much for me.  The decor inside is nice but the seating area is small and can be cramped if many people are there.  If you are looking for a kosher breakfast to get your day started Carmel is the place to go.

Milk & Honey:  Located at 420 N. Coit Rd. in Richardson Milk and Honey is a kosher market and meat grill.  it is my favorite place to eat in Dallas.  It serves Israeli food like falafel and schwarma and also has hamburgers and hotdogs.  Nothing on the menu is over $10 and almost everything comes with a free side of fries.  you can also get a kids half order at half the price on many items.  There is not much room for seating and even when there are seats it will be crowded, but you can always get your food to go.  The market carries a good selection of Israeli and other kosher products.  They also sell cold cuts from their deli at good prices.  They make their own pita and challah and a few other bakery items that are very good.  It is located in the same shopping center as a Wal-mart grocery store so it is easy to do all your shopping in the same center. 

Madras Pavilion:  101 South Coit Road, Richardson, TX  Madras is a a vegetarian Indian resteraunt that happens to be kosher.  They have traditional south indian food but they also have a Indo-Chinese menu for those who are not such big fans of regular Indian food.  They have an all you can eat lunch buffet with most of their popular items available.

Grocery Stores:  In addition to Milk and Honey and Natalie’s mentioned above, the Tom Thumb grocery store at Preston and Forest and the Tom Thumb at Coit and Campbell have full service kosher delis including kosher fried chicken, egg rolls, sandwiches, sushi and other items.  They also have good sized frozen, dry, and cold kosher sections including frozen dinners.  Both stores also have kosher bakeries.  The Albertsons at Hillcrest and Arapaho has a good sized kosher section but they do not have a deli or bakery.  Other stores around town also have smaller kosher sections and may have locally packaged baked goods.

Ice Cream:  On a hot summer day in Dallas ice cream is almost a neccesity.  The Cold Stone Creamery at Preston and Frankford and Gooeys Yogurt at Preston and Forest are both certified under the DK.  They are not chalav Yisrael but Gooeys does have some parve drinks.

Tourist info:  The main tourist attraction in Dallas is the Sixth Floor Museum and Dealey Plaza where Kennedy was assassinated.  The museum is very well done and you can still recognize all the sites from the Zapruder film.  Also downtown the arts district has a lot of good museums. 

Fair Park has the largest collection of art deco architecture in the nation and has museums and other attractions.  If you are in Dallas during the State Fair of Texas it is fantastic and shouldn’t be missed.  If you want more ‘Texas’ activities I strongly recommend seeing a rodeo. 

The Mesquite rodeo runs April through September and is very popular.  There are lots of great places for shopping around Dallas such as the Galleria mall in North Dallas.  The best things to do in Dallas are actually in nearby Fort Worth and the surrounding area.  Ranches, dinosaur footprints, horse riding, nature preserves and much more can be found within a couple of hours of Dallas.

Jewish Info:  There are two eruvs in Dallas, the North Dallas Eruv and the Far North Dallas eruv.  The North Dallas eruv has four synagogues and is the older community.  Congregation Ohr HaTorah is in a big new shul and is very welcoming and full of Texas hospitality.  If you need meals or a place to stay they will arrange it.  Down the street is Shaare Tefilla which is the oldest orthodox synagogue in Dallas.  There are also two Sephardic synagogues: Young Israel and Achdut Israel, run by Rabbi Terinio.  Both of them are primarily Israeli and the entire service is in Hebrew, there is little to no English spoken.  They are both very friendly and welcome everyone – Israeli or not.  This eruv also has two kollels and the Akiba Academy day school.  There is also a women’s mikvah and a men’s mikvah in this eruv. 

I have never spent a Shabbat in the far north eruv but there are a number of synagogues there including Congregation Ohev Shalom, Congregation Toras Chaim, Chabad of Dallas,  and Magen David Sephardic Congregation.  Most of the day schools including the Torah Day School and the Texas Torah Institute yeshiva are also in this eruv.  The people I know and have met from these shuls are all great people and go out of their way to provide hospitality. 

If you go farther north into Plano there are also a couple of other shuls DATA Plano and Chabad of Plano.  Data of Plano is the Plano branch of the Dallas kollel and only has services the third Shabbat of every month.  I have been to both Rabbis houses from Data of Plano many times and they are both wonderful welcoming families. 

 

Tags: dallas, dallas kosher, fort worth, jewish travel, kosher dallas, kosher texas, kosher travel, north dallas, plano, Texas

Shanghai, China

Contributed by: Gavi Lewy-Neuman | October 2008

Kosher Info:

There are 2 chabad centers in Shanghai – one in Pudong, and one in the main part of Shanghai on Hong Qiao Road in the south-eastern part of town.  I haven’t visited the one in Pudong, but info can be accessed at www.jewishpudong.com.  From personal experience, I can say that the Chabad Jewish Center offers free of charge, delicious meals on Friday night and Shabbbat day. They also order kosher, Israeli products online, and you can order as well through the Chabad center.  Their website (www.chinajewish.org) advises that fruits and vegetables can be purchased locally but to wash them very carefully with disinfectant soap and water.  Buy from street vendors at your own risk.  Food and challah can be purchased from Chabad, as well.  Some of the local supermarkets do sell American products, so look for a kosher hechsher. 

Suggestion: Bring your own Traditions soup or packaged soups that just require added hot water.  A main part of the Chinese culture is soup, and on-the-go most Chinese people will have “cup-of-soup” equivalents, and to cater to that, hot water is available everywhere, even on long distance trains. This goes for everywhere in China. 

Tourist Info:

Shanghai is a terrific city with a ton to do. There are a number of historic sites and other fun places to go.

I would suggest using The Lonely Planet (either for all China, or specifically for Shanghai) to help you get around and to give a good, detailed overview of what to do. Shanghai’s the chosen location for the upcoming 2010 World Expo, and so the city is doing its best to prepare for being impressive and giving a good experience to all its visitors. I enjoyed The 88th floor Observatory at the Jin Mao tower in Pudong area for an amazing view of the whole city.  There is a lot of pollution though, so visibility quality may vary…. it is still an amazing experience, as the tower was the tallest building in China until 2007. The elevator is ridiculously fast, getting you up to the observatory (where you get a complimentary pearl, which they try and coax you into turning into a not complimentary necklace, or set of earrings) in under 45 seconds.

The BUND is quite historic, and definitely worth a visit.  It is the area next to the Huangpu River on the main side – there are lots of buildings with beautiful architectural designs.  The Lonely Planet walking tour is suggested as it gives info on what you are seeing and where is worth your time.  There is lots of construction in the area though, which does take away from the overall experience.

Renmin Square, or People’s Square is a great place to visit, and lots to see in the area.  I would recommend visiting the Shanghai Art Museum, which has amazing modern art and interesting exhibits.  The Jade Buddha Temple is certainly worth a visit, and the acrobatics show is a no-miss.  I would also recommend stopping by and seeing a show at the Shanghai Grande Central Theater. It is a small venue, so even the cheapest seats give you a great view of the incredible program. 

Jewish info:

Both Chabad Centers are great Jewish outlets. In the Hong Qiao area, they have minyanim on Shabbat, and I believe during the week as well.  The Rabbi and Rebbetzin are very welcoming.  On Friday night dinner, all the new and visiting people are required to get up and introduce themselves to everyone.  There are mainly French-speaking people there (although not the Chabad family).  In the Pudong area, there are some old, not-in-use synagogues that are now tourist attractions, and have lots of history to them. 

Tags: chabad, China, jewish travel, kosher china, kosher travel, shanghai

Dharamsala, India

Contributed By: Avi Narrow-Tilonsky | Last Date of Travel: August 2007

Kosher Info: In Dharamkot, right outside Dharamsala, the Chabad center attracted about 200 people for Kabbalat Shabbat and Friday night dinner. Very few people speak English if that is a concern for you. The Beit Chabad in Dharamkot also runs a restaurant which serves a terrific shnitzel sandwich. You can eat your sandwich while sitting on colorful pillows on the floor, watching the mist sift through the Himalayan mountains, and exchanging travel tales with new friends. The meals on Shabbat are free but sometimes you have to share a cup with the person sitting next to you, so don’t be afraid of germs. In Dharamkot, there is also a Breslov couple that hosts visitors on Shabbat, but I did not visit them.

Tourist Info: Dharamsala is a non-urban region of northern India near Tibet, Kashmir, and the Himalayan Mts.

The main tourist area of Dharamsala is Mcleod Ganj where the exiled Tibetans are headquartered.  Most Israelis stay in the next town over, Dharamkot.  Along the main road, there are many stalls selling handmade Tibetan crafts and jewelery.  Also, it is worth spending a few extra rupees to get a room with a view of the mountains in a guest house (not many hotels).  The museum of the Tibetan Exile is a must see and on rare occasions the Dallai Llama delivers public lectures.

Jewish Info: The Chabad house has Shabbat programming and lectures and events during the week.  Additionally, Chabad runs a short term yeshiva program a few times per year.  It is mostly attended by Israelis that take some time out of their travels to study chassidut.

In Dharamsalla there are many Buddist sites, including the Dallai Llama’s temple, which might be religiously problematic.  Think it through before visiting.

Tags: buddist, chabad, dallai llama, dharamkot, Dharamsala, himalayan, India, jewish india, jewish travel, kosher india, kosher travel, mcleod ganj, mountains, tibet

Hong Kong / Kowloon, China

Contributed by: Gavi Lewy-Neuman | Last Date of Travel: October 2008

Kosher Info:

Hong Kong has a number of different kosher facilities. There are 2 Chabad centers – one in Kowloon and one on Hong Kong Island. Both offer Friday night and Shabbat day meals. There is an established community as well at the JCC located at 70 Robinson rd. on Hong Kong island. They too offer a Shabbat meal for everyone on Saturday. Also in Kowloon is a Sfaradi Shul called Kehilat Zion at the Hechal Ezra Synagogue which is located at 62 Mody Rd 1/F – the local Jewish community often calls this “Meoded” for the Rabbi Meoded who leads it. They too have meals on Friday night and Shabbat day. During the week, Hechal Ezra has a meat restaurant. The JCC has 2 restaurants – one meat, one dairy.

The JCC also has a kosher supermarket which has different products available at different times based on availability. There you can find a whole slew of Israeli products as well as frozen chicken and baked goods. Prices are somewhat inflated.

Hong Kong has a whole bunch of supermarkets, many of which sell varying numbers of American products, many of which bear an OU. The only kosher milk available in Hong Kong is called PURA – imported from Australia (not Cholav Yisrael – but is pure cows milk). Hong Kong Island is laden with supermarkets, while Kowloon is very sparse of them.

Note: Products that you know of from other parts of the world, like Pringles for example, are not kosher unless it has the sign on it. There will be Pringles with English writing on them as well as Chinese, and those aren’t kosher. There are cans though that are imported and won’t have any Chinese on them (less an added Chinese sticker) and that will have an OU on it. So look for the sign. No sign – not kosher.

The Chabad puts out a kosher guidebook for Hong Kong which is very helpful. It is very comprehensive and is updated yearly, i believe. From what I understood, in Hong Kong, plain rice and noodles can be bought from local stores without a hechsher.

Tourist Info:

All of Hong Kong can be done in about 5 days. As a backpacker, you might get bored staying longer than that. Some popular activities are as follows:

• “The Peak” is the top of Hong Kong Island which offers a beautiful panoramic view. The Peak Tram is a popular way of accessing it.
• Kowloon has many famous markets, such as the Jade Market and the Night Market – both which are great for inexpensive shopping and souvenirs. Bargain!
• Everyone visits the Big Buddha on Lantau Island which is nice, but not awesome.
• Victoria Harbour has one of the world’s most famous skylines, and is beautiful at night (catch the nightly 13 minute Light Show at 8pm every day from the Kowloon side, from the pier next to the cultural center, where you can see all the lights and hear the accompanying music). Crossing the river by the Star Ferry is a historical experience (and only costs about 2 Hong Kong dollars). On the Kowloon side by the water are a few museums (free on Wednesdays) and Avenue of the Stars which is nice to walk along at night after the Light Show.

To get around, Hong Kong has a great subway system that is clean, efficient and really easy to use. For extended stays in Hong Kong, get an Octopus Card – similar equivalent to a MetroCard (in NYC), but can also be used to pay for other things around town.

Jewish Info:
Both Chabad centers offer Minyanim on Shabbat for sure, but can be iffy during the week. The JCC shul called “Ohel Leah” also has Shabbat Minyanim as well as during the week. Hechal Ezra has the same. Ohel Leah is one of the wealthiest synagogues in the world, but its crowd brings in people of all economic levels and varying degrees of observance (even though it is an Orthodox shul). The Chabad in Kowloon is most appropriate for backpackers as it is close to many budgeted guesthouses. The Hechal Ezra community is mainly sfaradi expat businessmen, but was nice to go to as it felt to me most like a community (even though only 10% of the well over 100 people were regulars). Hechal Ezra also offers the best food on Shabbat in my opinion.

Tags: chabad, China, hong kong, jewish travel, kosher travel, kowloon, octopus card, victoria harbour