✈ Keeping Kosher in Ixtapa, Mexico

Contributed by: Lisa Damast  |  Last Date of Travel: February 2007

I ditched a week of classes in chilly Boston and went with my sister to sunny Ixtapa in Mexico for a few days instead. We knew we were going to be there for 4 days from Monday through Thursday and that there wouldn’t be any form of Jewish life yet alone kosher food there.

Kosher info: My sister is an expert at keeping kosher in remote locations and made sure that when we packed our suitcases – which were carry-on size so that we didn’t need to wait for them at any point – we left half of it empty to stock with the following food items each:

• 4 LaBriute TV-dinners from a kosher supermarket in Monsey, NY. These can be heated by creating a chemical reaction of heat and steam by pouring provided salt water onto provided flame less food heater. The process takes about 12 minutes. The package also contains soup and a snack.
• 1 package of Chicken of the Sea Albacore
• 1 package of Chicken of the Sea Salmon
• 2 Clif Bars
• 2 Balance Bars

In Ixtapa, there are several small mini-marts that imported snacks like Pringles and cereal that were certified kosher that we bought. We also bought bottled water and Coca-Cola from these stores.

Tourist info: The purpose of our vacation was to relax on a beach and get tans. Ixtapa, which was planned and built as a resort town at the same time as Cancun and is located on the Pacific coast of Southern Mexico, is a perfect location for that. Except for a small flea market near our hotel, the main attraction outside of our hotel (which had an outdoor pool and mini golf among other amenities) was the beach.

On the beach, aside from being in the sun and tanning, there are options to go hang gliding over the water or on the beach, get a massage for a low rate (DON’T get a massage on the beach), and buy drinks, such as pina coladas.

Visiting the tiki bars on the beach or by the pools of hotels near the beach are a must as seeing the art and signs used for decoration or authority is part of the entertainment and fun. At night the restaurants and bars are packed and the area becomes very festive.

For any movie buffs, the neighboring, larger fishing village of Zihuatanejo, is the place referenced as Tim Robbins dream escape in The Shawshan Redemption. Zihuatanejo, where most service providers in Ixtapa live, makes for a great day trip. You can take a local bus from the main road in Ixtapa to nearby the harbor of Zihuatanejo. You have to walk for about 10 minutes before you see the harbor, but for much of the walk, there are fun little souvenir shops on both sides of the street. You can find souvenirs that replicate the designs of the area’s original natives, including rain sticks, woven baskets and trivets.

Once at the harbor there are more shops that you can walk by while looking at the beautiful harbor. Between the shops and the harbor is a beach that is used by the village’s fishermen.

Jewish life: There is no Jewish life in Ixtapa or Zihujuatanejo.

Additional notes: Don’t bring a laptop with you to Ixtapa. The risk of theft is very high and there are at least 3 Internet cafes where you can use the Internet for relatively cheap prices. Additionally, it helps to speak Spanish or to travel with someone who does for both Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo.

Tags: beach, Ixtapa, jewish travel, kosher travel, LaBriute meals, Mexico, R&R, relaxation, rest and relaxation, Zihujuatanejo

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✈ Keeping Kosher in Martinique

Contributed by George Medovoy | Last Date of Travel: July 2008

Kosher Info: You might not think of ever finding kosher food on the island of Martinique, a far-flung French outpost in the Caribbean archipelago with an eternal summer and an infectious African-Creole culture. But don’t be fooled — Martinique is also home to a community of 400 Jews mainly from Morocco and Tunisia, most of whom arrived on the island via France.

With typical self-sufficiency, Chabad runs a kosher food store on its premises, while a kosher restaurant operates out of the home of one of the community’s members.
To reach the rabbi and find out more about the hours of the store and the restaurant, it is best to call him directly on his cell.
If you call before you arrive, dial the international code first, 011, and then 596-696-7107-70.

Tourist Info: Jews have lived on Martinique since 1645, when the Portuguese expelled them from Brazil and they sought refuge on the island.
Today, Martinique is an official “department” of France, enjoying many of the modern economic and educational infrastructures of the French state.
When you arrive at Martinique’s Aime Cesaire International Airport, the flag you see is the French tricolor, the language spoken is French, and many of the shops you visit carry the latest French fashions and perfumes.

The Jews here are French citizens and work mostly in the building industry.
The 17th-century Jews who arrived here from Brazil brought the know-how for producing sugar cane, which Martinique uses to make Rhum Agricole, a high-quality product based on pure sugar cane juice rather than the more common molasses.

As our plane approached the airport, we could see sailboats off Martinique’s famous Diamond Rock – a far cry, I whispered to myself, from those early Jewish refugees who were expelled from Brazil and suddenly cast upon the open seas.

Touched in the west by the Caribbean Sea and in the east by the Atlantic Ocean, Martinique was discovered in 1502 by Columbus, who called it “the island of flowers.” We found it to be a fascinating blend of island and French cultures.

In the busy capital of Fort-de-France, your first exposure to native culture may come at the Grand Marche Couvert, the big covered market on rue Antoine Siger, where hawkers in colorful costumes sell everything from fresh vegetables and spices to herbal remedies to help you sleep.
You may also be lucky enough to hear the sounds of zouk, an island music that mixes a Latin beat with rhythms that reach back to Africa.

In spite of its relatively small size, it offers a surprisingly diverse geography, with lovely bays, coves and white sand beaches in the south, to rolling hills, mountains and even rainforests and cascading waterfalls in the north. Martinique is 425 square miles in size, 50 miles long at its longest, and just over 24 miles wide at its widest. Both coasts are dotted with magnificent ocean overlooks.

Martinique, known internationally for its production of rum, has 10 distilleries.
As our guide joked: “Don’t drink a lot, but drink often.” The country’s rums bear an official French classification — like the classification given to French wines — known as Appellation d’Origine Controlee. No other rum in the world carries this government standard.
White rum is the youngest, aged for as little as three months in wooden casks.
The longer the rum is aged in oak barrels, the darker its color – from amber to dark — and the more complex its taste. Old rum, sometimes aged for more than six years, can be as wonderful as an excellent cognac.

Rum is so tied to Martinique’s history that it has even been used to win military battles.
In 1804, the British captured a landmark rock off Martinique’s southern coast and named it as a ship, HMS Diamond Rock.
After many unsuccessful attempts to re-take the rock, the French dropped barrels of rum in the water and finally took it back…from drunken British soldiers!

For more information about Martinique, visit www.martinique.org or call (212) 838-7800.
The island is 429 miles southeast of Puerto Rico, with flights from Miami via San Juan. The temperature averages 79 degrees, with cooling from pleasant trade winds. Martinique’s official currency is the Euro.

Jewish Info: It is also one of the far-flung centers of Chabad, with a large, Sephardic-style synagogue in the university town of Schoelcher, just north of the busy capital of Fort-de-France.
Young Rabbi Moshe Yehuda Nemni, who is from London and speaks French, English, Hebrew and Yiddish, carries the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s torch here, promoting Jewish identity.

The synagogue, located at 12 Anse Gouraud in Schoelcher, also has a mikveh and a large social hall next door for social functions.
Religious services are held every day and draw at least 100 people on Saturday.
Visitors from abroad are warmly welcomed and often invited to either the rabbi’s house or the homes of individual members for Shabbat meals.
“Because we’re an island,” he said, “everything is limited, so we can’t depend on other towns around us. The only reason we are holding strong (here), is because the Rebbe told us to fight for Judaism…”
As my wife and I made our way to Chabad, we noticed several Jews with kippot who were walking to the synagogue for Friday evening services.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

George Medovoy is a travel writer who publishes an Internet travel magazine, www.PostcardsForYou.com, and writes a travel column for the Davis Enterprise in Northern California. He has also contributed freelance travel to numerous newspapers and magazines, including enRoute (Air Canada), American Way (American Airlines), Newsday, and the Forward.

Tags: beach, caribbean, distilleries, jewish travel, kosher caribbean, kosher carribean, kosher martinique, kosher travel, rum

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✈ Keeping Kosher in Norfolk / Virginia Beach, VA

Contributed by: Linda Rosenberg Minkow | Laste date of travel: Author currently lives there

Kosher info: Norfolk has a growing array of kosher conveniences. Two local supermarkets carry a limited selection of kosher products: Harris Teeter on DeBree Avenue and The Marketplace (formerly Gene Walters) on 21st Street between Colonial and Colley. The Marketplace is currently in the process of renovating, and when they’re done there will be a kosher deli counter and larger selection of meat.

There is a kosher wholesaler in Norfolk called VA Bel or Belkov’s, located on Princess Anne Road. They are open Tuesday-Friday 10-3 or so, and will stay open if you call an order ahead to pick up at another time. They literally have an entire warehouse of kosher foods, and Calvin will open any box of anything he has in the back to sell to his kosher customers. It’s really great if you have the time to pick up a order during the day.

Restaurant-wise, there is currently an Israeli grocery store called Little Israel in Virginia Beach on Independence Blvd that serves falafel, deli sandwiches, fries, salds, schawarma and the best Jerusalem mix I have ever had. They have a mashgiach there until about 4 pm so if you want anything meat after that, call ahead and Yehuda will make sure you get what you orderd. Yehuda’s mother-in-law is Moroccan and makes some of the best couscous I have ever tried.

There is a new dairy/fish/pasta restaurant that just opened in the Waterside, a small mall that is right in the middle of downtown Norfolk near a lot of tourist attractions (see tourism section). I haven’t been there yet, but it’s run by three non-Jewish ladies who also run Dish catering, a local kosher catering company. There is also a woman in the local Orthodox shul who does small-scale catering, Tehilla Mostofsky. She’s phenomenal.

Beyond restaurants and catering, we have a Rita’s Water Ice and a Cold Stone Creamery under hashgacha on 21st St. The JCC off of the Witchduck Road (yes, you read that right) exit from highway 264 has a kosher cafeteria as well, providing wrap sandwiches and other lunch options.

Tourist Info: Norfolk and Virginia Beach are great tourist spots. Norfolk has the world’s largest shipyard and naval base. There is a museum called the Nauticus which outlines Norfolk’s naval involvement since the very beginning of US history. There is also a decommissioned battle ship you can tour called the US Wisconsin. The Nauticus area is right down the block from the new cruise ship terminal, where you can also catch local boat tours of the bay.

Downtown Norfolk has lots of attractions. There is the MacArthur Center Mall, located across the street from the General MacArthur memorial/museum. There are lots of little boutiques, bookstores and clubs in the area as well. Ghent is right near Old Dominion University, Norfolk State University and Easter Virginia Medical School. It has lots of trendy little bars and stores, including bike shops and health food stores.

Virginia Beach, of course, has the beach and other beach attractions. There is First Landing state park, which has really great running and biking trails as well as a boating marina. Fort Story is a local Army base that has a small museum and a lighthouse if you enjoy those sorts of things.

There are numerous concert venues throughout Norfolk and Virginia Beach if you’re looking to catch a major comedy or music act. The Chrysler Museum in downtown Norfolk and the Virginia Opera House are attractions right in the middle of trendy Ghent and Downtown Norfolk areas.

If you’re willing to take a drive, Williamsburg is only an hour away. There is colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown, which are great historic areas with lots of interactive attractions and living history sites. Busch Gardens is in the area, as is King’s Dominion. Both are fantastic theme parks. Another 30 minutes north is Richmond, which has a Virginia Holocaust museum as well as various historical and entertainment attractions. Driving south of Norfolk will take you to North Carolina. There are lots of beaches and outdoor attractions there, including boating and camping. If you head to Raleigh, the museum thre has a Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit (not sure how long that’s going on there).

Jewish info: In Norfolk, there is a lot of Jewish history and a growing Jewish community. B’nai Israel is the local Orthodox shul, but there is also a Chabad near ODU (Old Dominion Univ.). There are two large Conservative temples and at least one large Reform temple in Norfolk. B’nai Israel is run by Rabbi Chaim Silver (community Rabbi) and Rabbi Sendar Haber (assistant Rabbi). There is a kollel/Jewish education outreach center run by Rabbi Gershon Litt. There are two Jewish elementary schools, one run by the JCC (less religious) and one run by the B’nai community (more religious). There is currently a small boy’s high school and girl’s high school as well.

The Jewish community is very tight-knit, a mix of local ba’alei t’shuvah together with the Rabbis (and their families) that teach at the school, run the shul and maange the kashrut for the community. There is a large military presence in Norfolk, so the community has a lot of former and current military members who are stationed in the area.

It’s a very welcoming community so feel free to stop by!

Tags: beach, boating, history, jewish travel, kosher norfolk, kosher travel, kosher virginia beach, military, Norfolk, theme parks, Virginia, Virginia Beach

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