Imagine being on Catalina Island, about 22 miles off of the coast of Long Beach, and hearing “I Have a Little Dreidel” sung by a group of little kids marching along.
My husband, Rabbi Avi Zarmi, and I, along with our 5-year-old grandson Yehudah, were staying on the island during Chanukah last year, and were strolling along the small downtown area by the ocean, when we heard this wonderful singing.
We were really surprised. It indeed was Chanukah, but people celebrating it here?
Yehudah got into the children’s line and was soon singing along with the rest of the kids. The teachers leading the children told us that there was only one Jewish boy in their group, but they were singing it for all the children, not just him.
I thought that was fantastic. They made me feel so at home.
But then, Catalina Island is one of the loveliest spots in California and a must to visit if you are planning a trip to the state.
It is one of the four Southern Channel Islands, and the only one of the eight with a significant permanent civilian settlement — the city of Avalon and the unincorporated town of Two Harbors.
We felt like we were miles from the rest of Southern California. Even the trip over on the Catalina Express was an adventure, nothing but ocean for miles. It was a bit like a short cruise. The ferry even had a first class lounge.
Catalina Island is 21 miles long with an area of about 76 square miles. It’s eight miles at its widest (Long Point) and a half mile wide at its narrowest point at Two Harbors at the Isthmus, so you can easily hike it.
The scenery is magnificent, with a rocky coastline surrounding the island and pristine beaches on its shoreline a well. Avalon, its only city, is in a bowl made by its mountains.
The highest elevations are Mt. Orizaba (2,097 feet) and Mount Black Jack (2,006 feet). The deepest water between Catalina and the mainland is approximately 3,000 feet or more than a half mile. Water temperature ranges from 64 to 73 degrees in the summer and 54 to 59 degrees in winter, a perfect place to get away to from our inclement winters.
There are a multitude of available activities. To see the underwater life, you can snorkel or scuba dive, or if you don’t want to get wet, you can take an underwater tour on the tourist submarine where you can see schools of fish of varying bright colors, yellow, red, green.
We took the sub and saw hundreds of fish of all colors streaming outside the windows. We also went on a boat which had seats around circular well-like openings and when we threw fish food, (sold on the boat) into the opening, swarms of fish raced for it. For the really adventurous, which I wasn’t, parasailing is an option.
There are a number of kayaking scenarios. You can go around part of the island in a kayak in a two hour tour with a capable guide.
Yehudah and I did the two-hour tour. We were in one boat and our guide in another. I felt a bit fearful, but I was told children as young as one year and even babies in their parents’ arms have gone.
It was great though. We saw dolphins cavorting and jumping in and out of the water, and whales furiously spouting.
All weather clothing was provided and we both got a certificate at the end. We could also have gone on kayaking picnics, or overnight trips in the kayaks.
In the small downtown of Avalon, which is just a few streets long, we explored charming shops and galleries, or we relaxed on benches at the beach while Yehudah played in the sand.
One morning we visited the island’s museum, housed in the casino, an island landmark, and once a dance hall, along with the island’s movie theater. The museum had huge pictures of island celebrities, like Marilyn Monroe, Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner. An even bigger photo was of William Wrigley (of chewing gum fame) who developed the island.
Pastel colored wooden houses lined windy streets. Many of these houses can be rented by the day or week and are large and roomy inside.
We stayed in a three bedroom two story with a fireplace, a rooftop porch and a washer and dryer, all the amenities of home. We had breakfast and lunch daily on the porch while admiring the mountain views.
We also lit our Chanukah menorah in the living room window so it could be seen on the street. Curious little neighbor boys who stopped to ask us what it was, generously offered Yehudah a ball to keep.
A unique feature of the island is its golf cart transportation. Since it takes years to get permission to get a motor vehicle onto the island, residents and visitors move around in golf carts, which all have licenses. They are not cheap; a used one can cost $4,000.
Even taxis are golf carts, and the carts are available for rental as well. Some of the rental housing units come with their own carts.
We took a cart and I drove fearfully up and around to a mountain top, on winding roads, with no railings to keep us from going over the edge. It was very scary, but it was a great way to have a bird’s eye view of the town; to fully experience the beauty of the island, looking down on Avalon and the harbor.
We used the cart to drive to a small nature center and to explore the Avalon end of the island. I had been on Catalina years before and had landed in the Airport in the Sky high up on the other end of the island and so had seen the buffalo who were roaming in a nature reserve in that area.
There was a tiny supermarket where I bought milk and fruit. Most of our food I’d brought from my son’s house in Los Angeles. We had also brought along dishes and pots, and a frying pan to re-fry our latkes, also from L.A.
I felt very sad when we had to go to the dock for the return trip to the mainland. Our stay in Catalina was so enjoyable and memorable that I hope to spend another Chanukah there.
Arlene Becker Zarmi is a freelance writer whose work has appeared 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.
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