Jewish Travel: Keep it Kosher!



Posted: Sunday, May 17, 2009

by Tomer Harel
Key Scouts

You receive an email ad from an airline you use frequently, promoting a fabulous vacation package in the Bahamas. It's in your price range, you've always wanted to go, and your entire family is miraculously free at the time. However, there are two little problems. You and your family can't go on a vacation like this... the hotel doesn't keep Kosher! It is extremely disappointing when this happens, and this occurs to many Jewish would-be travelers.

If you are an observant Jew, it probably has. Year after year you and your family cannot go on vacation unless the location has Kosher facilities. And how many places in the world have Kosher facilities (aside from Israel, that is)? You could go to large cities with significant Jewish populations, such as London or Paris, you could perhaps go on a house exchange vacation, trading houses with another Jewish family and cook all your own food, but still - Choice of vacation spots is very limited. After all, how many Jewish families can you find in Costa Rica or Alaska, right?

For observant Jews, finding acceptable travel plans is always a hassle. Most of the world does not observe Kosher law, and tours rarely observe Shabbat. Booking flights is never a problem, after all, most airlines do offer a Kosher meal, or at least a vegetarian one. The issues arise upon arrival - hotels, restaurants, tours. How is it possible to go on an exotic Safari vacation and still observe G-d's law?

Jewish travelers have found creative ways to overcome these issues. Private tours were booked for an all-Jewish group, and in that way, making sure that Shabbat is observed. It is possible to arrange private catering. These tours were often quite pricey and the group could still not eat in the comfort of their hotel. Other Jewish tourists limited their travel to Israel and major European cities where they could easily find Kosher food. For many years, observant Jews had to make do with any solution they could come up with.

However, in recent years, some travel companies have begun to specialize in Jewish travel. Jewish tours, designed for observant Jews are arranged with hotels that keep Kosher, a rabbi for Shabbat services often arrives locally or with the group, and the plans always include a rest day on Shabbat and a service before Friday dinner. There have even been some all-Jewish cruises, where the entire ship became Kosher and checked by the Rabbinic Kosher Court. Shabbat is a full rest day, and all the delicious cuisine is Kosher. In addition, the tours at the different stops of the cruise often include the local Jewish sites and places of interest.

A grand vista of possibilities is now in reach where Jewish vacations are concerned. Jewish people are no longer restricted to places that have Jewish heritage or history - after all, Jewish tours to Europe have existed for years to places including Amsterdam (the Anne Frank house), Poland (Auschwitz and other concentration camps), London (the D'Israeli residence), and others. However, Jewish tourists can travel to places they had never dreamed of - the Far East, South America, Africa, as well as different locations in Europe.

It's time to forget all the restrictions that prevented you, as an observant Jew, from traveling all over the world. Have you been dreaming of visiting China? South Africa? Perhaps you've been daydreaming of the perfect wilderness trip to Alaska? It is time to stop dreaming - your Kosher Jewish vacation may be just around the corner!

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