DESERT TORAH ACADEMY’S 7TH AND 8TH GRADE STUDENTS VISIT SOUTHERN               CALIFORNIA

DTA’s seventh and eighth graders recently came back from a spectacular graduation trip to Southern California. The students left DTA early on a Tuesday morning and arrived at Shoreline Village in Long Beach in the afternoon. They spent the day enjoying the ocean, the boat filled harbor, shopping in the quaint Shoreline Village stores and riding bikes on the boardwalk.

The students next stop was in the Pico Robertson area of LA. This LA neighborhood probably contains more kosher restaurants per capita than any other neighborhood in the world. The students settled on The Nagila Restaurant. This restaurant is special in that it has a meat section and a milk section in two adjacent buildings and a courtyard where all the patrons may eat.

The next day, the 7th and 8th graders were off to the highlight of the trip, a visit to Knottsberry Farm. This amusement park has really evolved over the years (it started as a single ride next to Mrs. Knott’s chicken restaurant) and now has a number of high thrill roller coasters. For the fainter of heart there were also great shows, water rides, bumper cars and fun games. The day concluded with another trip to the ocean. This time the students visited Seal Beach Pier where they had a delicious BBQ (thanks to chef Eli Goldblatt).

On Thursday, the students visited the Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance. The visit to the Museum left a profound impression on the 7th and 8th graders. They learned not only about the holocaust, but also about other examples of hatred and bigotry. The trip concluded with a second visit to the Pico Robertson area. Time was spent shopping in the numerous Judaic book stores that are found in that neighborhood. The favorite store, though, was Munchies, a giant kosher candy store and ice cream shop. The trip concluded with lunch at Pizza Station and of course a safe and fun drive home.

Special thanks go to trip chaperones Morah Sarah Sherman, Morah Rachel Ofier, Eli Goldblatt and school principal Rabbi Rodman and to the Hoffman and Mentz families who hosted the students.