Montenegro is the Jewel of the Adriatic – and it puts a slip on south-eastern Europe’s antisemitic shadows

I met a few of them at what would be the first of several superb meals we noshed at the luxury five-star resort. Among them was the country’s Chief Rabbi, Ari Edelkopf, an ebullient Chabad emissary who was born in Israel and raised in Los Angeles. He somehow resisted eating the finger-licking fare with us, but he could have for everything on the table was kosher. As he well knew. He and resident Rabbi Leizer Ehrenfeld oversee the resort’s kashrut provision.

Instead, Rabbi Ari talked excitedly about Jewish life in this European country, where archaeologists have unearthed a Jewish tomb in a Roman necropolis and where by the 12th century Jewish communities had been established in the towns of Pljevla, Plav, Gusinjem Bijelo Polje, Berane and Ulcinj.

“Judaism has been an official religion here for 14 years,” he declared proudly. The rabbi might have added there were no concentration camps on this sliver of land and that during the Shoah, Jews from neighbouring areas sought refuge in the deep valleys of its sharp and rugged mountains. The translation of Montenegro being Black Mountain. A black mountain that has “never been conquered”, my airport pickup-driver shared in perfect English and with a certain defiance.

Sitting next to the rabbi was the more taciturn Neil Emilfarb, the Uzbekistani Jew who founded this deluxe retreat on the Adriatic coast, which with its hotels, residences, villas, three private beaches, infinity pool and sweeping sea views feels, in truth, more like a private island than a traditional resort. It is no exaggeration to say that the growth of contemporary Jewish life in Montenegro, which began in earnest when Jews from the former Soviet Union began visiting in the early 2000s, has been significantly aided by this unassuming gent. His verdant idyll (more than 100 species of plants line those paths) is home to Montenegro’s first Jewish community centre – he dedicated it to his parents, Tsilia and Peter Emilfarb - the kosher restaurant Shalom, a synagogue and Shabbat-friendly accommodation.

Dukley's infinity pool[Missing Credit]Room with a (breathtaking) view[Missing Credit]Balcony view from one of the retreat's four-bedroom penthouses[Missing Credit]The JCC plaque in memory of Dukley founder Neil Emilsfarb's parents[Missing Credit]

We had Friday night dinner at Shalom and boy did the restaurant pull out all the stops. Under the stewardship of internationally recognised Israeli chef Igal Kovriga, we dined on Ashki staples such as gefilte fish, chraine and challah rolls that were still oven-warm. And I surely need not explain, not here, the deep pleasure of seeing a room of Jews from across the globe tucking into classic Israeli salad in a small corner of the Balkan Peninsula.

Almost as touching is the astounding knowledge of our dietary laws that Dukley’s wonderfully attentive staff have not only acquired but really taken to heart. Take Maria. Four years ago she had never knowingly met a Jew. Now she understands, and explained to me with deep respect, why apples and melons are easier to kosher than strawberries and raspberries. And she taught me a Hebrew word: toloim.

Friday night dinner at Shalom restaurant[Missing Credit]

As established, I don’t speak Ivrit but if you do you might well hear the language on the streets of Montenegro. That’s how much of a top destination it has become for Israeli tourists, from the strictly Orthodox to the stridently secular. And they feel safe here. I lost count of the number of people I saw wearing kippot and Star of David necklaces. Put it this way: I have visited several European countries since Ocotber 7 and, right now, Montenegro feels different for Jews.

This said, as established, I am a journalist and it would therefore be quite wrong of me to write an article about marvellous Montenegro and ignore the widely reported news that there have been two recent incidents of Israelis being harassed here, in one instance very badly.

This is dismaying for all the usual reasons, but believe me when I tell you that what felt jarring was how much of a departure it seemed to be in one of the world’s newest nations. Montenegro rightly makes much of having put the slip on south-eastern Europe’s antisemitic shadows.

Go on, treat yourselves and spend Succot in this premier resort on the Adriatic coast.

www.dukleyhotels.com

Succot offer: for an up to 20 percent accommodation discount for 3+ nights and free airport transfers use promo code SHALOM20