Passover getaways with a difference

Silver Screen Sedarim

Where did Jack Benny, Kirk Douglas and Dinah Shore celebrate Passover in their heyday? Chances are they chose to lay out their Seder plates in Palm Springs, since, like today’s most famous Jewish resident, Barry Manilow, they were among the legions of entertainers and movie stars who made this idyllic corner of California their playground.

This handful of pioneering Jews followed Gloria Swanson, Clark Gable, Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and a not-yet-converted Marilyn Monroe to the glorious stretch of desert east of Los Angeles, framed by golden mountains, punctuated with palm trees (and now, golf courses) and scattered with a lavish twinkling of turquoise pools. Its future as a celebrity resort was assured in the golden age of Hollywood, when the studios demanded that stars under contract travel no further than two hours by road while a film was shooting.

Jewish stars built homes here because they were not welcome in some of the earliest hotels and clubs. Yet, as the city grew and thrived, so did a community which now boasts three synagogues — with seven more in the adjacent resorts of Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert. Here, stars moved in search of greater seclusion and were inevitably followed by well-heeled second-homers, many of whom are now permanent residents.

 While there are no kosher restaurants per se, though the owners of Sherman’s Deli are Jewish and serve exceedingly haimishe food, there is plenty of kosher food in Palm Springs, courtesy of retailers with kosher food sections and Kosher In Palm Springs, a caterer offering cooked dishes for delivery. Communal Sedarim are held annually, but it could be fun to cater your own, in a property where some of the most legendary stars have broken bread, if not matzah.

These include Amin Casa, the former home of Gloria Swanson, built in 1928 with a 1950s extension. Exquisite one- and two-bedroom bungalows include a full kitchen. Dinah Shore’s old house, now owned by Leonardo DiCaprio, is also available to rent for a tidy sum.

Palm Springs has several affordable hotels with self-catering facilities, including some of the converted mid-century Modernist buildings for which the resort is famous. The main drag, Palm Canyon Drive, is served by a free trolley bus but is also a stroller’s delight, where visitors can mingle with locals out for morning coffee with their dogs or shopping for art, crafts and jewellery at the Thursday-night street market. The glorious mountains can be accessed both by a thrilling cable-car ride or guided hikes and there’s culture at the Desert Art Museum.

For those who want to get away from it all — and there is frenetic activity on the streets during the American college spring break — La Quinta sits at the furthest extreme of “Greater Palm Springs”. This tiny town is home to an eponymous Waldorf Astoria resort which has seen its fair share of celebrities since opening in 1926; it comprises hundreds of exquisite Spanish-style one and two-bedroom casitas, arranged around several swimming pools and self-catering “spa villa suites” — townhouses with kitchen and dining room which can sleep up to five. Three synagogues, of which two host communal Sedarim, are within easy reach.

Desert not to your taste? Consider the Santa Ynez Valley, a two-hour drive north of Hollywood, which Richard Harris, Dolly Parton, Steven Seagal and Bo Derek have all called home, not to mention Michael Jackson and Ronald Reagan. This is horse and wine country — not a natural magnet for Jews, perhaps — but Elizabeth Taylor was already a convert when she married for the last time at the Neverland ranch near Los Olivos, a tiny hamlet which restaurateur Sam Marmorstein reports is a hub today for 50 Jewish families.

“I hosted the first communal Seder here,” recalls the proprietor of Los Olivos Wine Bar and Café, which was immortalised 15 years ago in the film Sideways.

In recent years, the Sedarim have had to move to a bigger home at St Mark’s Church around the corner, where the community, which includes families from nearby Solvang and Buellton, also holds services. These towns, originally settled by Scandinavian immigrants, are worth a visit for their excellent Danish pastries, but lunch and dinner in Los Olivos is hard to beat. The Marmorsteins serve salad and vegetables from their own organic farm, as well as fish (and non-kosher meat) from local suppliers.

Just down the road, in an even tinier hamlet, sits the Santa Ynez Inn which, despite its handsome Victorian looks, is a new building. It would be hard to find a more comfortable perch, especially if bagging one of the spacious rooms boasting a balcony, on which to enjoy the spring sunshine and a fireplace to warm chilly evenings. A gourmet cooked breakfast on the verandah and complimentary pre-prandial wine with nibbles are extra treats.

As for Hollywood itself, Elaine’s Hollywood B&B, near Gefilte Gulch — the popular name for Fairfax Avenue, with its kosher stores and delis — is run by a nice Jewish girl from Edgware. Book well ahead, as demand is high. There is one larger room suitable for one or two children staying with parents, and additional double rooms.

Further information from visitpalmsprings.com, amincasa.com, laquintaresort. com, santaynezinn.com, winemerchantcafe.com, elaineshollywoodbedandbreakfast.com

Alternatively, you could spend Passover in Morocco.

Imagine being the only Jew in a village where 40 per cent of the population were once members of the tribe. It’s one reason to contemplate Passover in Essaouira, on Morocco’s west coast, which once had 35 synagogues. It still hosts an annual pilgrimage commemorating a 19th century rabbi and is proud of its two tiny historic shuls.

A family making Seder here today would not actually be the only Jews in Essaouira, as gallerist Joseph Sebag is a resident. But they might be the first to celebrate a multi-generational Passover at Le Jardin des Douars, a luxury hotel with some of the country’s finest self-catering villas. Le Jardin des Douars is French- and Belgian-owned, with a Senegalese and Moroccan vibe. African art is everywhere, amid the ornate arches, courtyards, traditional artisanal tilework and polished plaster bathrooms.

Magnificent gardens extend to the three- to five-bedroom villas in the grounds, of which the jewel is surely Villa Patio. Its four en-suite bedrooms are set around a courtyard and sleep ten for a ridiculously affordable sum, given their quality of the property and the inclusion of breakfast and the services of a maid who will cook and help prepare for or clear up from Seder.

If you like to spend Pesach feasting on fresh produce, this place is bliss. Fish is landed daily and there is a wealth of fruit and veg, thanks to 320 days of sun a year. Meals can also be taken in the two restaurants.

The hammam is open by appointment and villas have private pools and gardens. The synagogues, one named after Rabbi Haim Pinto (of pilgrimage fame) and incorporating a small museum, the other, Slat Lkahal, under renovation, are in the Mellah (old Jewish quarter). Visit the Jewish cemetery too, if time permits, before returning on the hotel shuttle.

Ryanair flights direct to Essaouira from Stansted make a car unnecessary. Those prepared to make the three-hour bus journey from Essaouira to Marrakech can discover Kasbah Angour, in the Atlas mountains, which has its own direct low-fare links to London. Built in traditional style, the Kasbah is owned by an Englishman who employs a Berber guide with knowledge of the Jewish community that flourished here, too.

A tour of the souk can be followed by a walk through the town and a visit to the Jewish cemetery. Kasbah Angour, which also has lovely gardens, offers two villas which sleep a family. The chef prepares delicious vegetarian food and owner Paul, who has experience of hosting Jewish groups, can obtain kosher wine from one of the country’s best vineyards. .

Ryanair (ryanair.com) serves Essaouira from London from as little as 11.73 euros (around £10) each way and also operates low-cost flights to Marrakech. At Le Jardin des Douars, villas for up to ten start at around £500 a night including breakfast and maid service, jardindesdouars.com. Similar rates at Kasbah Angour, https://www.kasbahangour.com/