The escalating attractions of Hong Kong
IMOVED TO Hong Kong with my husband, Ben, in April 2016. We had always dreamed of moving abroad and were amazed when this became a real opportunity, when Ben was offered a long-term secondment. Knowing there was a Jewish community here and that we could get by in English were big benefits and we were thrilled to be given the chance to live somewhere that had a completely different culture from that of the UK.
WHERE CAN WE EAT/SHOP KOSHER IN HONG KONG? Mid-Levels on Hong Kong Island has the only kosher shop, Koshermart, which is within the Jewish community centre on Robinson Road. It has a wide selection of meat and milk products.
The JCC also houses a milky café, open until 5.30pm, Monday to Friday and on Sundays — convenient for tourists wanting a kosher breakfast. It also has a meaty restaurant, open Monday to Thursday, 6pm to 10pm; on Sundays it holds an all-you-can-eat meat buffet.
There is also a kosher meat restaurant on Kowloon, called Mal Hayam.
For those who eat in vegetarian restaurants, there are plenty, both Chinese and Western-style. Good options are those run by tourist attractions, such as the Chi Lin Nunnery. WHERE SHOULD WE STAY? The Bishop Lei Hotel on Robinson Road is a good choice, less than a five-minute walk from the main Orthodox synagogue, Ohel Leah and about 10 minutes in the opposite direction to the Chabad House. There is also The Garden View, on the same road as the Chabad House, MacDonnell Road.
The Shabbat-observant would be well advised to stay in one of these, because Hong Kong’s climate is generally very hot and sticky; it is unpleasant to walk longer distances without carrying a bottle of water, or two. However, these hotels are not top-of-the-range. For more luxurious accommodation, Hong Kong Island has four/five-star chain hotels such as the Mandarin Oriental, Marriott, Conrad and Four Seasons.
If you stay at any of these, ask for directions to the infamous escalator. Hong Kong Island is built into a hill; Ohel Leah Synagogue is towards the top — but very close to the escalator. This runs upwards from 10am every day, so if you stay in a hotel in a more central location, you can hop on the escalator and be at Ohel Leah or Chabad within 20 minutes.
Kowloon, just across from Hong Kong Island, also has a Chabad House and an Orthodox Sephardi community. Some luxury hotels, such as The Peninsular, are closer to these communities. I enjoyed the Eton Hotel, a 15-minute walk away.
CAN WE GO TO SHUL ON SHABBAT?
Quite easily, if you are willing to carry ID. If not, be prepared to answer many security questions to get into either Ohel Leah or Chabad.
Ohel Leah Synagogue holds services every Friday night and Shabbat day. A tourist can book into Friday-night dinner at Ohel Leah at a cost. On Shabbat morning, the service starts at 9am, followed by a kiddush luncheon, as the community calls it, which is a sit-down, three-course meal, free. Every week.
Chabad on both Hong Kong Island and Kowloon runs Shabbat services every week, Friday night and Shabbat daytime. It, too, offers Friday-night dinner and lunch and, while these meals are provided free, you could consider a donation.
The Israeli minyan/kollel, Shuva, in Central on Hong Kong Island, holds Friday-night and Shabbat-day services and meals.
There is also a Reform community, UJC, holding Shabbat services some weeks.
CAN ONE SELF-CATER?
You can find kosher food in shops but it is all a bit random. Supermarkets do stock products that just happen to be heschered, imported from Australia, America or the UK but if you are 100 per cent kosher, it is easier to stick to Koshermart.
WHAT ARE THE JEWISH MUST-SEES?
The only one is the Ohel Leah Synagogue, a beautiful, colonial-style building, built in the early 1900s by the philanthropic Sassoon family, who originated from India. The family is still prominent in Hong Kong life, owning The Peninsular Hotel. Nathan Road, the main road on Kowloon, is named after a member of the Sassoon family.
ANY OTHER MUST-SEES?