Milwaukeeans who want to enjoy a larger variety of kosher restaurants than is available locally may drive to Chicago; but I have been flying to Los Angeles to enjoy some of the multitude of restaurants there.
I started to do this when my son, David, now a deputy attorney general for the state of California, began studying law at the University of California Los Angeles. Now that he’s permanently there, I can combine visits to him and to many of the Jewish delights in Southern California.
David had actually chosen UCLA over many other schools that had vied for him because of the strong Jewish presence and Jewish attractions of the city. The wonderful almost constantly warm weather was a plus as well. Whenever I have visited, I would get up in the morning to say to myself, “Another great day in sunny California.”
Los Angeles has the second largest urban Jewish populations in the U.S., with almost 700,000 people; and has about 5.1 percent of the world’s Jewish population.
It has many strongly Jewish areas, both in the city proper, particularly on the west side; in Beverly Hills, which is an independent city surrounded by Los Angeles; and in the San Fernando Valley, which also has a variety of such communities.
David lives near Pico Blvd., which has about half a dozen synagogues within blocks of each other. One entire block contains the Chabad synagogue that is almost a replica of the Chabad headquarters synagogue in Brooklyn, New York. David said that there are about 22 synagogues within a two-mile radius in every direction.
He’s also on the edge of Beverlywood, an upscale Jewish community that has organized regular Sabbath services in rotating homes.
Many of the synagogues have after service Sabbath events outside as the weather is generally perfect for them. If you’re lucky to be present for a bar or bat mitzvah celebration, you’ll enjoy wonderful smorgasbords and a free bar. Aish Ha Torah, a synagogue and kiruv (outreach) center has a spread of pies and salads for its mincha/maariv services.
A close by Jewish community is the Pico-Robertson area. Pico is an east west street that crosses the north south street Robertson. Not far to the north of Pico is the famous Wilshire Boulevard.
Stretching along Pico from Robertson to Beverly Boulevard, near Beverlywood, are a number of Jewish grocery stores, and stores that sell a variety of Jewish religious wares. This is also restaurant row where you can choose to eat either dairy or meat meals.
The most expensive and elegant is Pat’s, which offers wonderful lamb dishes. The Milky Way dairy restaurant is owned and run by movie director Steven Spielberg’s mother, a tiny, gregarious lady who mingles with the diners.
Shilos is a meat eatery that offers a special dairy free bleu cheese recipe. Bocca offers cutting-edge fusion foods. Vegans and vegetarians have kosher places as well.
Since L.A. has one of the largest settlements of Jewish immigrants from Iran, this is the area to enjoy Persian cuisine, either in the Jewish Persian run markets or in the restaurants. Try the wonderful sheet thin Persian bread, Lavash, that’s sold in every Persian store.
There’s also a huge Israeli population throughout L.A., some of whom are in the entertainment industry.
If you want to experience the historical old Jewish community in L.A., visit the Fairfax area and especially Fairfax Blvd. Here you’ll still hear Yiddish spoken and see signs in Hebrew as well as English. You may feel that you’re back in your grandparents’ or great-grandparents’ days.
It’s a great place to buy fresh vegetables and fruit. There are also a multitude of synagogues, including those housed in what were once stores. If you want to find a minyan to pray with, you can just wander down Fairfax and you’ll find a number of them.
Probably the largest Jewish community in the San Fernando Valley is Valley Village. Again, there are many synagogues; kosher restaurants, which offer a variety of food, including Israeli and pizzerias; and even a market, which is not owned by a Jewish person, offering kosher food and a fantastic array of kosher wines from all over the world. Here you can get kosher wines at a fraction of the price you would pay in Milwaukee.
Want to do some Jewish touring? No problem. Two Jewish museums are a must see.
One is the Museum of Tolerance, 9786 W. Pico Blvd., run by the Simon Wiesenthal Center. This features three permanent exhibits — on the Holocaust; “Finding Our Families, Finding Ourselves,” about the personal histories of noted Americans; and the Tolerancenter — plus limited-run special exhibitions.
The other museum is the Skirball Cultural Center in a beautiful setting on the west side of L.A., at 2701 N. Sepulveda Ave. It has a wonderful collection of Jewish items, including art; and devotes almost an entire floor to children’s fun, which is called Noah’s Ark.
The Skirball has an outdoor area to eat in and its own restaurant. The view from the Skirball is of a winding road and picturesque hills.
Even Disneyland has its Jewish offerings. Five restaurants offer kosher food throughout the park.
The elegant Blue Bayou, Disneyland’s number one restaurant, overlooks the famous Pirates of the Caribbean Ride, one of the best rides in the park.
The Plaza Inn; Cafe Orleans; and Big Thunder Ranch, all serve about the same food with some variations, boxed, and offering both dairy and meat. Reservations are suggested for these four, but not for Tomorowland Terrace.
All three of the Disneyland hotels also offer kosher food, with the Disneyland Hotel and the Grand California offering two restaurants each. In the California Adventure Park there’s Wine Trattoria; Ariel’s Grotto; and Taste Pilot’s Grill, a walk up eatery. To make reservations for all Disney’s kosher meals in advance, call 714-781-3463.
Disneyland, of course, is a must see, and a must do, and it’s only 45 minutes from Los Angeles, in Anaheim.
Also not far from L.A., in Oxnard, about 30 miles north along the magnificently scenic Pacific Coast Highway, at 3201 Camino Del Sol is the Herzog winery where you can tour the facilities and then eat lunch in the winery’s four-and-a-half star restaurant.
You can also tour Hollywood feeling proud of its Jewish connection as men like Sam Goldwyn of MGM and other Jewish moguls helped make the industry what it is now. Many Jewish Hollywood greats have their handprints in the sidewalk in front of Hollywood’s Chinese Grauman theater.
If you want to stay in a Jewish area while you are in Los Angeles there are several hotels on, and near, Pico Blvd., a couple of blocks from Beverlywood: The Crowne Plaza, The Avalon, Mr. C, and The Resident’s Inn by Mariott.
A number of websites of Jewish restaurants and entertainment will give you detailed information to plan your trip to Jewish Los Angeles.
Arlene Becker Zarmi is a freelance writer whose work has been published in more than 40 publications nationwide. She was also the producer and host of a travel TV show for Viacom, and is a Jewish genre and portrait artist. She lives with her husband, Rabbi Avi Zarmi, in Shorewood.
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