I TRAVEL
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Temple Isaiah in Palm Springs.
Jewish Palm Springs
Has A Warm Allure
RUTH ROVNER
Special to The Jewish News
T
HAWAII CRUISES
NOW ON SALE
NOV. 4 - DEC. 16
10%-25% DISCOUNT
For All
Your Travel
Arrangements
BAY POINTE TRAVEL NEWBERRY SQUARE
4088 Haggerty Rd.
CRUISES & TRAVEL
Corner of Richardson
FAX 360-4341
1-800-223-4341
39530 14 Mlle Rd.
Corner of Haggerty
(313) 360-4100
(313) 669-6760
HOURS: M-F 9:30-6:30, Sat. 9:30-4, Sun. by Appt.
ALL CHARGE CARDS ACCEPTED • LOCAL DELIVERY AVAILABLE • NO SERVICE CHARGES
66
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1989
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7 # Resource;`,
he sign posted next to
the palm tree plainly
states, "No bicycle,
rollerskate or skateboard
riding on sidewalk."
Not even streetlights mar
the pristine beauty of Palm
Canyon Drive. Instead, in-
genious light fixtures placed
at the midpoint of each palm
tree illuminate the wide,
spotlessly clean street.
Palm Springs, the posh
resort town in southern
California, seems to have
every amenity. The desert air
is pure, the buildings are all
pastel-colored (that's decreed
by city law), world class golf
courses abound, and the San
Jacinto Mountains form a
dramatic backdrop to the
town.
Still, even with all this lux-
ury and natural beauty, some
people yearn for corned beef
on rye. And when they do,
Nate's Deli in downtown
Palm Springs is a virtual
oasis in the desert.
For 25 years, this deli has
been serving up generous por-
tions of every delicacy from
potato pancakes to pastrami.
Besides the food, it offers the
chance to see what happens
when a Jewish deli is planted
in the midst of a posh resort.
"Eat the best corned beef
west of New York and count
the luxury limos outside,"
reads part of the Travel and
Leisure review posted on the
bulletin board behind the
cash register.
People watching is part of
the pleasure here. As patrons
wait for their food, they
hope to spot some of the
rich and famous who live
nearby and who often turn up
at a deli that's won an
award for excellence from
the Palm Springs Restaurant
Association.
Waitresses at Nate's have
hefty collections of celebrity
autographs and can tell you
the particular tastes of
famous patrons they've serv-
ed. Sonny Bono likes corned
beef on kaiser roll. Sinatra
favors knockwurst to go.
They all satisfy their deli
cravings in an eatery that's
partly posh Palm Springs in
ambiance and partly down-
home. Jewish. The booths by
the window offer a view of
palm trees and passing
celebrities. And the rattan
chairs, sunny setting and
leisurely pace make this
nothing like a bustling Lower
East Side deli.
Yet the Jewish flavor is also
strong. Owner Leonard Aron,
known as Mr. Corned Beef of
Palm Springs, wears a Jewish
star and kibbitzes with
customers as he ladles out
chicken soup. On the walls
are humorous posters with
Yiddish subtitles.
Like the deli, the only
synagogue in Palm Springs
also shows a unique adapta-
tion to the resort environ-
ment and celebrity residents.
In fact, some of those
celebrities have helped in the
growth of Thmple Isaiah.
In the modern foyer of this
synagogue in the desert is a
gleaming black marble
monolith. On its gold top, the
engraved letters read, "In ap-
preciation to Frank Sinatra
for helping make the dream of
our center for Jewish life
come true."
"He's become a close and
valued friend of the congrega-
tion," says Rita Lewis, ex-
ecutive director of Temple
Isaiah. Sinatra, who is