26 July 18 • 2019
jn

on the cover/travel
arts&life

A

sk Michiganders what they 
most frequently associate with a 
Michigan summer and likely the 
answer will be an Up North vacation. Ask a 
Jewish Detroiter and the answer could very 
well be time spent in Charlevoix. 
The number of Jewish visitors, especially 
those who own property in Charlevoix, is 
so significant that it’
s nearly impossible to 
spend a summer weekend in this pictur-
esque town without seeing a familiar face. 
And Charlevoix, unlike any other vacation 
destination in the state, is a getaway loca-
tion that transcends the memories of gener-
ations of local families. 
Those who spent time there when they 
were young now bring their children and 
even grandchildren to this charming city 
known and loved for its pristine beaches, 
quaint downtown, memorable drawbridge 
and iconic red lighthouse. 
“This is where we always went on vaca-
tion to spend quality time together as a 
family,” recalled Glenn Wachler, originally 
from West Bloomfield but now a perma-
nent Charlevoix resident. 
Wachler, 54, thinks back with fondness to 
his childhood, recalling time he spent with 
his family, particularly his dad. Together 
they would fish, search for Petoskey stones 
and watch the sun set over Lake Michigan. 
Wanting to create similar memories for his 

children, he and his wife, Ellen, along with 
their three kids, spent many summers in 
Charlevoix and moved there 13 years ago.
Despite what was once a seven-hour 
drive, Jewish families have been vacation-
ing in Charlevoix for at least 100 years. In 
1916, the year the Detroit Jewish Chronicle 
was founded, the paper’
s community gossip 
page began mentioning it as a travel desti-
nation. 
Wachler’
s father, Jeff, 91, started going 
to Charlevoix in 1932. Eventually, he pur-
chased a condominium there. His father 
(Glenn’
s grandfather) also owned property 
in this northern Michigan town. Glenn still 
finds it amusing that at one time his grand-
father rented an apartment in Detroit but 
owned a home in Charlevoix. 
There was a period in the city’
s history 
where openly anti-Semitic sentiments, such 
as deed restrictions in a few neighborhoods, 
were hard to ignore. However, Jews were 
not deterred from vacationing or owning 
homes in Charlevoix. 
Rick Berman, a Charlevoix aficionado, 
has a postcard from a now-defunct hotel 
that says: “Having a great time, beautiful 
hotel. They do not allow Jews or dogs.” It’
s 
one of approximately 1,500 postcards in his 
collection from the city and surrounding 
areas. These days, blatant displays of dis-
crimination are gone.

Up North getaway has attracted 
Detroiters for generations — here’
s why. 

 
Charlevoix
the Beautiful

JENNIFER LOVY

JENNIFER LOVY 
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

TOP TO BOTTOM: Todd and Jennifer Kroll with their 

daughters, Marlee and Lilley, Charlevoix Apple Fest; Paul 

Hooberman with his granddaughters, 2010, Kilwin’
s tour.

COURTESY KROLL FAMILY
COURTESY HOOBERMAN FAMILY