Some time in the midst of Pesach cleaning, when you’re crawling around the perimeter of the living room with a vacuum cleaner, the idea of going to a Pesach resort starts to sound like it’s worth the money. The rest of the year, the prospect of paying at least a year’s school tuition to stay at a hotel for ten days sounds ridiculous. Or does it?
Maybe you’ve been thinking about checking out the coast of Maine, or getting in some golf during Chol Hamoed in Florida. Besides the many Pesach resorts in the United States and Israel, there are hotels, which are kosher for Pesach in France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Clearly, taking a vacation in a place somewhere in the world that you’d like to see plays a role in choosing a Pesach resort. Having read the descriptions of several programs around the country and the world, the emphasis on the Torah aspect of these holiday getaways varies greatly.
Is Pesach at a resort about Pesach or about the resort? Anyone who attends a Pesach resort with proper kosher supervision is interested in observing the commandment to eat no chometz, which in itself is a unifying element for guests from various backgrounds. Beyond that, some resorts appear to offer little in the way of spiritual development and Torah learning.
One factor that some people who have attended Pesach resorts have mentioned is the challenge of conducting a warm family seder in a huge hotel dining room. While guests often have a choice of being at a table with a rabbi who will lead the seders or being at a table with their family and perhaps other families to lead their own seders, the noise level may make it difficult. Also, other guests at the table may want to move things along quickly and get to the meal as soon as possible, rushing those who like to take their time and ask lots of questions. There is the option of having private and semi private dining rooms, but that can be a major added expense, depending upon the program. One comment I heard from a few different people about the resorts they had attended was: “once you get past the seders, it’s great.” That seems a shame, when the seder is a central mitzvah of Pesach. On the other hand, one of those same people said that with maid service and all the food taken care of, “you can come to the table and sit like a mensch with your whole family.”
The trend at Pesach resort programs is toward a variety of meal options to meet the needs of all the guests. A regular guest at the “VIP Passover” program at the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix says that not only is there a choice of a dairy or fresh fish entrée for lunch, but guests can select vegetables they would like to have prepared on the “Mongolian grill.” For dinner there is a choice of fleishig or parve, with meals that meet the expectations of guests at this luxury hotel.
Jeanne Litvin, who, along with Mel Teitlebaum, coordinates the “Passover Resorts” programs, says that their Passover programs offer a blend of gourmet and traditional food as well as a host of healthy foods at all meals. There is always “kid friendly” food available as well as options for people with dietary restrictions. A guest of the Passover Resorts program at the Coronado Island Marriott in San Diego says she enjoys the creative food choices and the opportunity to take a stroll along the boardwalk with her family after a meal.
Not having to cook, especially during Chol Hamoed, means that guests have plenty of time to spend doing activities, going to shiurim, and seeing the sights. Typically, resorts have “camps” or kids’ groups every day with programs at the resort as well as field trips just for the kids. Mothers I have spoken to say their children really enjoy the opportunity to meet other kids and do fun activities together. But some families attend Pesach resorts specifically to spend time together with family, whether it is the immediate family, or relatives from around the country. For families who are coming from different parts of the world, going to a resort means everyone can stay in the same place and eat together for the whole chag.
What activities are offered really depends upon the particular program, as well as the location. The emphasis at some resorts is on the golfing, spa treatments, snorkeling, and entertainment aspects of the Pesach experience. Even those programs may have some dynamic and well-known rabbis on the schedule of shiurim. It would certainly be advisable to investigate what shiurim, if any, are offered. A few resort guests have said they found themselves attending a lot more shiurim than they would have had they stayed home for Pesach.
At the Gateways Passover Program at the Westin Hotel in Stamford, Connecticut, the focus for both children and adults is on spiritual enrichment. Director of Operations, Rabbi Avrumy Jordan says, “Over 120 classes are given over Pesach and people come to Gateways because they get their soul nourished as well as their body.”
Again, the question remains: is the Pesach resort about Pesach or about the resort? Rabbi Yitzchok Summers of Anshe Emes suggests that parents ask themselves, “Is this Pesach going to be an effective vehicle in my job as the primary educator of my kids?”
Ultimately, it is important to find out exactly what a particular Pesach resort program involves, what hashgacha it has, and then to discuss it with one’s rabbi. Remember that children who grow up attending resorts for Pesach may not learn through experience how to clean for Pesach, let alone how to cook traditional family recipes past down from generation to generation. There are definite pluses and minuses.
The basic cost for one adult for the full Pesach program with Gateways is $2200. The basic cost for Passover Resorts’ programs range from $2299 at the Palm Springs location to $3500 in Lake Las Vegas. It may cost about the same to fly to Israel and attend a program there for Pesach, so that is something to consider as well.
Notes:
Thank you to Rabbi Avrumy Jordan (tel: 800-722-3191, www.gatewayspassover.com) and Jeanne Litvin (tel: 1-800-PASSOVER, www.passoverresorts.com) for answering my questions about their respective programs. Thanks also to Rabbi Yitzchok Summers of Anshe Emes Synagogue (tel: 310-275-5640, www.anshe.org) for comments, as well as a story about Mrs. Summers’ Pesach bagels.