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Passover Getaways Become More Popular

Cruises, Vacation Packages Offer Seders, Kosher Accommodations

Updated: 2:29 pm EDT April 18, 2008

Planning a vacation so that everything goes right is a challenge for anyone, but even more so for Jewish travelers who choose to spend Passover away from home.

Luckily, a number of hotels and cruise lines offer Passover Seders, and some travel agencies have begun specializing in Passover vacations.

Passover, the most widely celebrated Jewish festival, commemorates the ancient Israelites' liberation from Egyptian slavery, when they fled so quickly they didn't have time to let their bread rise. During Passover, the eating of leaven bread is forbidden.

Passover begins April 19. The first night is traditionally observed with a Seder, a multicourse meal that includes symbolic foods and a retelling of the Exodus story from the Old Testament.

Those who strictly observe religious rules and rituals face a lot of cleaning and preparing the kitchen and home for the holiday. Because of that, some families choose to spend the week on vacation instead.

Most of the major cruise lines, including NCL, Disney, Regent Seven Seas, Crystal, Celebrity and Holland America, cater Seders and stock matzos during Passover week. Some cruises also include a rabbi or cantor to lead the ritual dinners while other ships simply offer kosher-style meals or pre-packaged kosher meals upon request.

Hotels have gotten into the act too, with some cordoning off a wing for dining in order to ensure kosher-for-Passover food is kept separate from other meals being served in the building. Such food is prepared in a separate kitchen that has been specially cleaned and prepared for the holiday.

A few hotels even advertise their entire facility as being kosher for Passover.

For those looking to instill their Passover with unforgettable vistas and memorable vacation moments, Web sites like Totally Jewish Travel are there to help.

Trips advertised on the Web site include an 11-night Passover safari in South Africa, which starts in Cape Town and includes visits to Victoria Falls and Chobe National Park, and a 10-night luxury golf and spa vacation at the Grand Hotel Guadalpin Byblos in the south of Spain.

Not only does Totally Jewish Travel advertise Passover vacations, but it also provides many more resources for Jewish travelers, including kosher travel FAQs, message boards and a kosher directory.

Other tour operators that specialize in Jewish travel, such as Lasko Tours and Mendy Vim's Holidays, also book Passover getaways to resorts that offer Seders and kosher dining.