When was the last time you planned a day trip or vacation and didn’t have to worry about bringing food (aside from Israel and New York)? Surprisingly, the country of Panama is that place; it is frum and kosher friendly.
For the past several years, friends
and relatives have visited Panama City and raved about the sites as well as the
approximately 40 affordable kosher restaurants – everything from high-end steak
houses to frozen yogurt. Several months ago, at my Monday mahjong game, I said,
“I’d like to go to Panama.” My friend Phyllis replied, “Me, too!” Finally, in
August 2025, we got together to plan our seven-day trip (including two travel
days), which we took this January.
Airplane Tickets
The only airline that flies direct
from BWI to Panama City’s Tocumen Airport is Copa Airways (copaair.com). The
flights are on Wednesday, currently 3:30 p.m. to Panama and 9:30 a.m. to
Baltimore. We had several problems booking our tickets online. Calling customer
service was frustrating, as we were put on hold numerous times for at least 30
minutes. And we were told that we’d incur a $25 “administrative” fee to talk to
an agent. Make sure to print all your paperwork and have proof of what you
purchased.
The flights are about four-and-a-half
hours each way, so bring something to eat. Passengers got a meal (dinner going,
breakfast home), but we did not ask whether kosher meals were available. Even
if they are offered, I suggest bringing back-up food “just in case.”
Also, the flights are cramped. Copa
flies 737s – think Southwest Airlines. Only business class can use the bathroom
in the front of the plane. That means the rest of us, over 150 in coach, had
access to only two bathrooms. At times, the line was long.
Hotels
Friends recommended the Residence
Inn by Marriott, which turned out to be a good choice. Each room has a
kitchenette with a full-size refrigerator, microwave, and sink. The room and
bathroom were spacious. When we checked in, however, we were given a room on
the 13th floor! I had requested a lower floor due to difficulties
climbing stairs on Shabbos. We were told that nothing else was available but that,
on Shabbos, hotel staff would be available to take us up the elevator and open
the door with the electronic key. The receptionist then gave us a full-color,
glossy, 136-page magazine called JPS: Your GPS Guide to Jewish Travel in
Panama.
Hotel guests get a free breakfast.
The treif breakfast options were endless. The kosher breakfast was a
disappointment and inconsistent. The cereal choices included Cap’n Crunch,
Fruity Pebbles, or ersatz cornflakes (not Kellogg’s). Chobani Greek yogurt was
available some days, but not all. Other days, the staff put out individual
packets of rice crackers or a dry, commercially baked muffin. One day, they served
pita and a jar of peanut butter and grape jelly combined. Another day, they had
individual jelly servings. We supplemented breakfast by buying a box of raisin
bran at the supermarket.
The Residence Inn is connected to a
mall with three kosher options. Super Kosher, one of the largest kosher grocery
stores in the world, is located on the second floor. It has a dairy restaurant,
where the menu is mostly pizza and pasta. The third-floor food court has two
kosher eateries: Emelia’s (delicious gelato) and Miznon (meat). Four kosher
restaurants were within walking distance from the hotel, about a half block
away. Jeffrey’s, a renown kosher bakery and restaurant, was one block away. For
Friday night Shabbos dinner, we bought delicious take-out from Super Kosher and
ate in our room. We had enough leftovers for a second dinner on Sunday night.
Jewish Panama
Panama is a country made up of
diverse races and religions. According to our tour guides, everyone gets along
and lives in harmony. Antisemitic incidents are extremely rare, if ever.
That being said, to gain entry to
the city’s Jewish sites, tourists must fill out an online security form (see www.gokosherpanama.com/kosher-sites).
This must be done ahead of time and includes name, date of birth, a photo of
your passport, etc., as well as a letter from your rabbi. Approval is sent by
email and contains an ID and a QR code that will be scanned by a security guard
when you visit shuls. Print out this email or have it handy on your phone.
The first Jews to settle in Panama
City, in the 1500s, were Conversos fleeing the Inquisition in Spain and
Portugal. According to hiddenjewishancestry.com/panama, “In theory, Jews and
Conversos were not permitted to immigrate to the new world. However, the people
with the greatest reason to get out of Spain were in fact Conversos. The
colonies offered the Conversos an opportunity to lose the ever-mindful eye of
the Inquisition and make a fresh start. Many Spanish Jews and Conversos
were traders. Due to the expulsion from Spain, they had relatives or trade
connections around the world. The new world needed traders, so many Conversos
made their way to South America. Panama, in the 16th century,
like today, was a trading center. Not surprisingly, Conversos populated it and
engaged in trade with South America, North America, and the rest of the world.”
In the mid-19th century,
Jewish life began to flourish openly in Panama City. Sefardic merchants from
Curacao, Jamaica, and St. Thomas settled there around 1876. Orthodox Syrian Sefardic
Jews came to Panama in the 1930s, strengthening the community and establishing
the Shevet Ahim Synagogue, the heart of Orthodox life. An influx of Ashkenazi Jews
came in the 1940s and built the Beth El shul. In the 1930s, Rabbi Sion Levy, zt”l,
from Israel, was sent to Panama to be its Sefardic leader. He and his wife came
to Panama City with the intent of staying two years. Instead, they stayed for
nearly six decades. He founded a Talmud Torah school, prepared siddurim
with Spanish phonetics, and slowly built a united, thriving community.
The Jewish population of Panama
City is small, around 15,000, but the statistics about this community are
amazing. Ninety-eight percent of the children attend a Jewish day school; per
capita, Panama is among the world’s generous donors to Israel; and intermarriage
rates are among the lowest in the Jewish diaspora.
Phyllis and I visited the four
large Sefardic shuls and Beth El, the large Ashkenazi shul. They are
indescribable, and if I were a better photographer, I’d be able to share their
beauty with you. Two shuls have very meaningful memorials to those who were
killed on October 7. The mikvah of another was comparable to walking into a
five-star spa. One shul had an indoor soccer field!
And don’t forget Chabad. Where
there are Jews, there is Chabad. The closest Chabad to our hotel was a four-minute
walk. This is where we ate our Shabbos lunch (prepayment and preapproval
necessary). We joined 50 to 60 Panamanian Jews and guests. Besides 12 to 14
different cold appetizers, Chabad served about eight hot dishes, including
schnitzel, potatoes, vegetables, cholent, potato kugel, meatballs, and the best
melt-in-your mouth pot roast I’ve ever had! All the shuls are within a large eruv.
Things To Do
For us, visiting Panama was not
just about the Jewish community and kosher restaurants. There are many sites to
see, including family-friendly places like arcades and biking, etc. We put our
itinerary together and hired our guide before the trip but found more things to
do in the JPS Magazine we received at check-in. Here are a few of the
things on our itinerary:
The Panama Canal: The U.S.-owned the canal (and its
profits) until 1999, when control was given to the Panamanian government. This
is when the country began to flourish; the income from the canal brought in
large banks and other businesses. As a result, the city skyline features
endless, modern skyscrapers, each one more unique than the next. The canal
operates 24/7. Boats go one way for 12 hours and then switch direction for the next
12 hours.
Monkey Island: A bumpy boat trip on Gatun Lake
brought us to islands populated by different species of monkeys. Visitors stay
on the boat; the monkeys came to us for snacks. They love peanuts.
Casco Viejo: This is Panama’s old city, founded
in the 1500s.
Gamboa: This is the tropical heart of
Panama’s rain forest.
Anton Valley: A two-and-a-half-hour trip took us
to a mountainous region of Panama, much cooler than the city. The valley is
known for its waterfalls, flora and fauna, and a large butterfly sanctuary. I
had to laugh when I saw the “do not touch the butterflies sign” in the
sanctuary. While the drive and scenery were beautiful, five hours in the car
was tiring.
Embera Tribe: Panama is home to seven indigenous
tribes. The Embera tribe, which lives along the Chagres River, offers a
cultural experience that includes a cooked, fresh-caught tilapia and plantain
lunch, dance, music, and crafts. (Our guide brought a “kosher” pot to cook our
lunch, and coincidentally, two frum fellows – also tourists – supervised
the cooking.) Embera women and men wear traditional clothing, much more
revealing and not tznius. This experience may not be for everyone.
To sum up, a trip to Panama is an opportunity to travel to a Jewish-friendly country, learn its history, enjoy its beauty and stunning nature, and experience a
