In a survey of managers and owners of Passover programs in major hotels throughout the country, most seemed cautiously optimistic that they would not suffer from the effects of the recession. Some told KosherToday feature writer, Raffi Rosenzweig, that it was still too early to know for sure, but at least one entrepreneur who has been running the special Passover programs for over a decade, said that he was not worried about two-thirds of his guests, but that he felt that it might be difficult to recruit the last third.
He explained that at least a third of his clientele are loyal wealthy Jews, who he believes are mostly in tact from the ravages of the economic downturn. “The second third are people who do some hotel hopping, including showing up at my facility every two or three years,” he said.
Many Israeli hoteliers are almost certain that they will have to discount prices to entice Israelis to spend the holiday at their hotels. The Israelis are used to this type of last minute discounting, especially when there is a slowdown in tourism due to security concerns.
Despite the recession, there have been few hotel dropouts from last year’s list, although there appear to be less than a handful of new programs. The Israelis hope that the recession will not divert tourists to local destinations, which may in fact help U.S. programs. Passover begins on the eve of April 8th and ends on April 15th.
(Source: Kosher Today)
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14 Responses
Most people were never able to afford the pesach programs but they had to keep up with the jonses.
This year is a valid excuse as to why many people will not go and it’s a good way out of something they should not have done to begin with.
Isn’t spending $30,000 for 8 days a bit outrageous?
with G-D help hopefully everything will work out
This article reminds me of the old Calvin Klein advertisement featuring Brooke Shields. Ms. Shields had to decide whether to spend her money on the monthly rent or buy Calvin Klein jeans. How many of our colleagues and neighbors will skip a payment to someone or something that they owe money to, in order to go to a Pesach hotel? When some of the fancy shmancy hotel tour operators start lowering their prices, then I’ll know that the economy is oif tzurus. However, until the Shvitzers stop shvitzing, there will be plenty of Bubbies, Zaidies and in-laws shelling out for a part of paradise (at least for eight days).
People have anything better to spend their money on and to worry about?
If any person who is not paying FULL tuition and paying on time to their children’s Yeshivos and Bais Yaakovs goes to a hotel for Pesach (even if someone else is paying for them) they will have to give Din Vcheshbon on choosing to use their money for this when Rabbeim and teachers are not getting paid on time.
The tragedies that we read about and hear where people nebech are loosing their lives or wars are happening is all the Yad Hashem and we need to be Mispallel for Rachmanus. People who choose to use their money for Hotels before tuition is not the Yad Hashem. What Hashem does we do not question. What (stupid) people do we need to stop. I would venture to say that every Yeshiva be given a list of who is spending Pesach in a Hotel and if those same people are not paying FULL tuition on time then their children should not be allowed back after pesach and no other school should accept them. If you don’t agree then speak to the Rebbi or teacher who is struggling to make ends meet because they are months behind in pay. If it is legit that tuitions can’t be paid that is one thing but if it is the Hotel goers not paying full tuition that must be stopped.
People should think about giving the tens of thousands of dollars that they used to spend on pesach hotels to their local yeshivas. The yeshivas are all in debt and there are rebbeim who haven’t been paid in months. If people would just give a little bit more tzedaka to their local yeshiva, the yeshiva’s would be able to pay their rebbeim.
I go to a passover hotel and from my experiance the one i go to the people who go actually give a lot of money to tzedaka and probably are paying full tuition. In addition, my friends families who go away are some of the biggest donors in my community. People use pessach hotels as thier once a year vacation. If you add up the cost of all your vacations over a year plus the cost of making pessach it isnt that far off. These people work very hard for thier money, give tons to tzedak, and take little to non vacation time during the year. Don’t assume the worst about everyone who goes away.
5.5 years ago, a close relative of mine had a serious post-partum breakdown right before Pesach. Her husband is a Rebbi – and a Yasom. Her brother is an accountant, who is busy with Tax Season at Pesach. The accountant’s wife also is a yesoma. (read: she doesn’t have parents to go to for Pesach) He was determined to find a solution to help a distraught family spend Pesach together.
He paid for her family (6 children and husband)and his own to spend Pesach in a Hotel. I don’t know what it cost. It doesn’t matter. She had a refuah Shelaima and Ha-Shem keeps paying him back for his chesed.
May we only know simchos, and may we learn to have an ayin tova.
it’s all about priorities
thank you Thinking out loud for being the first person to “fargin” a little of someone elses pleasures. If all you guys (#1-#10…)would stop and be totally honest with yourselves youd see that its jealousy playing righteous. is that the worst sin commited? think of your sins…oh but with something so public like going to hotels you have the right to play g-d. shame on all of you. its people like you who cuz sinas chinam and destroy children with your inferiority complexes. and i couldnt afford a scrambled egg in any of these places in case you’re wondering…
Amen to #1 and #6 in particular.
It’s been said many times over (including elsewhere on this site) that if even some of the money spent on these hotels was going to our Yeshivas, there would be no tuition crisis.
Granted, for some families it provides an opportunity to all be together, but at such costs! Does anyone really need to eat the quantities that are served? Have 20+ outfits to wear over 8+ days?
When that’s one’s priority, it explains in a nutshell what’s wrong with our communities. When we are willing to put aside our needs for material extravagence, showing off to the Schwartzs. we will not only resolve the tuition crisis, but also stop people taking equity loans on top of second mortgages so that they can have a fancy home with the latest in sparkling chandeliers and shtoddy kitchens, take the emphasis in shidduchim away from Tatty’s income, and many of the other elements that are depriving us of being zochur to live in the time of Moshiach.
Did the Kiddushim in Mumbai need a fancy house to feed 200 guests every Shabbos?
8 and 9, thank you. It is so important that we keep the number one priority straight and that is being dan lekaf zechus. (So before kids aren’t admitted back to school check the story behind their being at a hotel over Pesach. And there are many people who are there as employees, too.)
If I personally were in a position to being setting policy, or for my comments to count, I would say something. But I have no quarrel with the people who can afford it, and are fulfilling other obligations being there. And of course there are those who need to be there, for shalom bayis issues, if nothing else. Others need to be there as a social statement. And I have a lot of compassion for these last two categories. The same compassion I have for people who can afford to and do make super extravagant chasunas, e.g.
And I wonder how much some of these people would spend at home for Pesach, between the cleaning, food and all the extras. Still a lot more than most of us would. And then the peanut gallery would “hock” them too for how they overdo staying home. They can’t win, can they.
#8 baltimorejew & #9 fhinking out loud
HOW RIGHT YOU ARE!
there are many reasons why people feel the need to go away for pesach – don’t judge since you dont know every person’s situation -i can give you many examples but dont want to possibly “expose” someone’s privacy!
& all of you stop being so jealous!!!!
i think that this is one of the biggest problems of today – jealousy & the inability to fargin!!!!
# 26 estates,what is that? a bungalow colony? if it is,is it in the same category as Regency Estates? anyway all you people out there,youre right about the high cost of hotels. But look at it this way,the pesach hotel operators,are still not as big ganovim as the seminary operators.I for one enjoy the hotel experience on pesach. Where else can you mingle and rub shoulders with the Flatbush,and 5 towns yidden,the jet set crowd,who know how to live. the “askonim” and the “machers” of our community. Aah,youre all just jealous,because you cant keep up with the pesach crowd,and the Syrian crowd. Hey,not all of us can,or should. As far as paying tuition,the yeshivas have enough money,just ask any of them to open up their books to you. Fat chance. They can wait until we come back from the hotel,to pay tuition. Just like the yeshivas pay their bills on time to their vendors,so should we. As mentioned by one of the commentators before,about checking which families go to the hotels. Torah Temima,did this on Sukkos in Orlando about 12 years ago. Yep,there was the Administrator each morning in the Hyatt hotel,by Shachris checking which Temima families were there for yom tov. Hey, gimme Puerto Vallarta,or Cancun anytime.