Above the Alps

Today in his early 90s, Leopold (“Poldi” as his family calls him) lives in Jerusalem’s Rechavia neighborhood with his Gateshead-born wife Rita, his life and hotel partner since their marriage in 1960. While they’ve been out of the business for over a decade, they welcome me with practiced hospitality that must be inborn for hoteliers. We’re joined by son Yosef and daughter Debbie Bitton. Daughters Shoshana Bollag, residing in Switzerland, Scharon Hassan in Lakewood, New Jersey, and Dafna Benisri in Nice, France, are here in spirit, says Debbie, “because we all worked in Edelweiss at one time or another.”

In its heyday, the Eidelweiss was the center of Jewish life in St. Moritz. It contained the only synagogue, mikveh and kosher restaurant in the area, drawing religious tourists, even though there were ritzier establishments elsewhere.

“I always knew I’d run the hotel one day,” says Leopold. “These things were passed down from father to son.”

Trust Was Enough

Before the Edelweiss came into existence, there was a small kosher restaurant in Merano, which in the 1870s was a part of Austria (today, it’s in Italy). Leopold’s grandfather (whose name was also Leopold) was the shochet, and his grandmother was the cook. In the summer of 1883, the restaurant hosted an esteemed customer —Baron Rothschild from Germany. After a satisfying meal, the Baron approached Leopold with an interesting proposal: “Leave Merano for two months, bring your young wife to my villa in St. Moritz where I will be hosting around 30 people, and work for me as my shochet and cook.”