Passover – luxe edition

When the world is your… not oyster, of course, but perhaps your kosher caviar, then the only limit is your imagination. Pesach, long seen as a labour-intensive albatross round the necks of hard-working Jewish women, has spread its wings. For this is the era of luxury Pesach, where creative travel agents can cater — almost literally — to every whim.

Usually there are Four Questions for Pesach. But at the luxury end of the market, there is only one — where to go to celebrate the festival?

This year you could spend Pesach in every location you can think of — and perhaps those you hadn’t even considered possible. Like a Seder night in Kenya with a safari over Chol Hamoed.

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Or maybe Colorado to stay in the world-famous mountain resort of Vail. When Seder night is over, you can go ski-ing. That’s right — there is a unique “Chol Hamoed barbecue at 10,000 feet.”

Maybe your tastes run to the once traditional, in which case you should head for Lithuania, where this year there is a new programme based in the capital, Vilnius. Piquant to return to the city once known as the Jerusalem of Lithuania.

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Or on offer is the exotic — learning about Japanese culture in the heart of Tokyo — or possibly Mexico, where after Seder night (or nights) you can stay on the Mayan Riviera (no, me neither) and enjoy freshwater lagoons, coral reefs, private beach, spa, a golf course, a fitness centre and more.

The only thing you have to consider is the cost of all these adventures. Many can run between $9,000 to $15,000 per person, so spare a thought for one man who said in his enthusiastic on-line testimonial that he had taken his entire family of 11 on a Passover holiday last year and was already planning this year’s destination.

If you want something even more luxe and you don’t care about built-in programming, then you might like to think about Sharon Beck of KPC, which stands for Kosher Private Chef. Her company offers “custom-tailored” possibilities, aimed at “people who don’t want to wait on line for their food”.

She flies in hot chefs from Israel to wherever her clients have chosen to spend Pesach — which can be in a villa or even aboard a yacht, which her company will source for them. She deals with customers all over the United States but notes that “we also ship gourmet meals worldwide—bringing the KPC experience wherever you are.” And some of her packages can cost $25,000. But, you know, the Haggadah speaks of “an outstretched hand”…

Two acknowledged experts in the field of high-end Pesach are Manchester’s own Raphi Bloom, who began Totally Jewish Travel in 1999, and Philadelphia-based rabbi/travel agent/scientist/psychologist and IT specialist, Gil Hami. What these two can’t tell you about luxury Pesach isn’t worth knowing.

I had wrongly assumed that the Pesach world travellers were less observant, more secular adventure-seekers. But both Gil and Raphi say that’s wrong: there are those who want an all-inclusive resort package, with food and drink and, crucially, entertainment, almost literally on tap around the clock; and there are those, says Raphi, “where you will have a multi-generational family group and there is perhaps one grandchild who has become very religious and may not want to eat in the grandparents’ home.” The solution is an all-inclusive Pesach programme — at the luxe end if possible.

Gil, however, says those who go for Pesach in luxury are neatly split between those who want to loll about in a resort hotel and take advantage of the packed range of entertainment and food on offer, and a whole new group of Pesach explorers who want to have an adventure in a different part of the world. “You’ll go to a place where you are based at a hotel programme, but every day [except for Shabbat and chagim] you’ll go out and explore, so that you are maximising your time there.” His Japan programme, he says, gives people “a once-in a lifetime opportunity to experience another heritage and culture.” And it’s all kosher l’Pesach.

Turns out that you can spend (and that’s the appropriate word) Pesach in practically anywhere you can think of: Argentina — though you may not be able to tango; Albania; Azerbaijan; Thailand; Japan; all over Europe; Africa, America, Asia — and even a dedicated tartan-style programme in Aberdeen.

The focus of many of the all-inclusive programmes is what’s on offer after the Seder, whether one night or two. The resorts are super-competitive, offering comedians, singers, speakers and “how-to” classes. Indeed, during Chol Hamoed, many speakers will travel from resort to resort, so that if you miss this year’s in-demand rabbi, he may well be at a neighbouring resort the next night.

Among those on this year’s programmes are former Israeli spokesman Eylon Levy, ex-IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus, and Brits Natasha Hausdorff and Rabbi Yitzchak Shochet. Think grand cruise entertainment — but on dry land.

Some of the speakers are unique to America, such as Adina Shoshana, born Adriana Fernandez, who achieved fame on social media as the “Non-Jewish Nanny,” and after spending time nannying for observant Jewish families, took the plunge and converted to Orthodox Judaism. She is billed as “the Now Jewish Nanny” — hope she isn’t speaking at resorts where they charge extra for babysitting.

One package this year even offers the chance to challenge a chess grandmaster — Grand Master Roberto Mogranzini. Or you may want to hear the hottest Italian DJ, Gary Imbimbo, who is a specialist in electronic dance music — not exactly in the Pesach spirit, but popular with an audience eager for a different experience.

Those anxious about missing a meal on safari should be reassured. One of the companies tells potential clients that on hand will be “mobile kitchens, chefs and kitchen staff, accompanied by a kosher supervisor, who will travel with clients to the safari reserves and will be accompanied by fresh and cooked meals throughout the stay on the safari lodges”. That’s if the lions don’t get there first.

Over in Colorado, meanwhile, those enjoying “Pesach on the Mountain” can take advantage of an open-air ice rink and outdoor fire pits, as well as ski-ing in Vail.

Heaven forbid that people might spend one minute idle. Each of the resorts pledges “a plethora of activities to keep your whole family entertained…”, including ways that you never thought of, either at Pesach or the whole year round, from white-water-rafting to snowmobile-ing, from matchmakers to Pilates coaches.

As you lounge at your seder table next week, pick a place you’d like to go next year, shorn of all the hard work Pesach can be — and start saving now. You’re worth it.