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Packing up for Passover is a major decision. The following guide was
originally printed in Kosher Spirit Magazine, published by OK Kosher
Certification and appears on the OK web site. See contact details after
the article. Reprinted with permission from the OK Kosher Certification.
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Packing up at Passover
If staying in a hotel will result in your being
more lenient, the experience may not be worth it.
Faced with the prospect of weeks of grueling Passover cleaning,
shopping, and cooking, many Jewish families opt to follow in the
footsteps of our ancestors in Egypt and make a run for it. With a
plethora of Kosher for Passover hotels advertising a holiday of luxury
and convenience, many choose to spare themselves the rigors of
Passover preparations.
But before you pick up the phone and make your reservations, you
should consider both your physical and spiritual needs. Passover is a
time when Jewish families are traditionally more meticulous in their
kosher observance. If staying in a hotel will result in your being
more lenient, the whole experience may not be worth it.
To help you evaluate hotels, I will outline the issues that the OK
Kosher Certification uses in determining whether a hotel can be made
acceptable. “Acceptable” is a more appropriate word than “kosher,”
because preparing a hotel for Shabbat and Yom Tov use involves more
than just food! |
Let’s look at two potential problem areas: Shabbat and Kosher issues.
SHABBAT
If the hotel you are visiting is being used exclusively for Passover
guests, there should be no blatant desecration of Shabbat or Yom Tov.
On Shabbat and Yom Tov, check-in and check-out should not be allowed,
hotel shops should be closed, and music should not play in the lobby.
Electronic signals, like electrical switches, must not be triggered on
Shabbat. Thus, the modern technology that solves many security and
housekeeping problems for hotels, presents serious problems for the
Shabbat-observant guest. Electronic keys are one example. These are
plastic key-cards that are programmed for each individual guest. This
is fine for weekdays, but electronic keys cannot be used on Shabbat or
Yom Tov.
In some hotels, housekeeping receives an electronic signal when the
room is empty, at which time the staff knows to come and straighten
the room. By leaving the room, the guest automatically triggers the
electronic monitor.
Many hotels have doors which open via an electronic eye. Even when the
doors are kept open (for example, by someone who has just walked
through them), the electronic eye may flash as each person walks by.
Of course, the laws of Shabbat must also be observed in the kitchen.
Cooking is forbidden on Shabbat. Cholent, a stew comprised of meat,
beans, and potatoes, is a staple in the Jewish home for Shabbat lunch
because it is placed on the stove or in the oven before Shabbat and
kept warm until Shabbat afternoon. Some hotels are convinced that they
must supply their customers with a hot meal other than the traditional
Cholent on Shabbat afternoon. They sometimes reach very far to find
leniencies to justify heating foods on Shabbat.
KOSHER
Koshering a hotel is very complicated and time consuming. The process
must be performed with scrutiny, patience, and responsibility.
First, all non-kosher or non-Passover food must be removed before the
cleansing of equipment can begin. Once the koshering process begins,
the entire kitchen is off limits for non-Passover food production.
Depending on the size of the hotel kitchen, it can take from two days
up to a week to kosher properly. Many hotels seek to delay the
koshering process until the last possible moment—as close to Passover
as possible. The OK insists on koshering a Passover hotel kitchen a
full week prior to the holiday.
Many Passover hotels are not kosher year-round. Before the OK even
considers koshering a hotel, we evaluate if it is generally fit to be
kosher. As the OK insists on complete separation of meat and dairy,
several concerns arise.
Storage.
In most cases, members of the hotel kitchen staff are not accustomed
to keeping meat and dairy separate. Unless there are separate storage
areas for meat and dairy, it’s easy for the foods to be mixed
accidentally.
Cooking areas.
Due to the high volume of cooking, spillage and splattering is
frequent. Thus, complete segregation of all areas, including the area
where the food is set out on plates, is necessary to preclude the
unintentional mixing of meat and milk. The OK requires separate
stoves, ovens, dish warmers, sinks, steam kettles, broilers, griddles,
etc.
Steam kettles.
The use of a common steam line for kosher and non-kosher cooking
is not acceptable. This is a method in which steam is used in place of
fire for cooking. When steam is returned to the boiler after having
been used to cook non-kosher food and is then used to cook kosher
food, the latter becomes not kosher. The same holds true for dairy and
meat foods. Another problem arises with consecutive use of steam. This
is when steam first heats a dairy kettle and then a meat kettle.
Afterwards the steam, which now contains meat and dairy elements,
might be directly injected into a pressure cooker to steam vegetables!
As you can see, there are many issues involved in preparing a hotel
for Passover use. Please use this information to question the various
tour providers. By booking your retreat responsibly, you will assure
your family a truly redeeming Passover experience.
http://www.ok.org/Content.asp?ID=229
Copyright © 2002 OK Kosher Certification.
All rights reserved.
Originally printed in Kosher Spirit Magazine, published by OK Kosher
Certification. Reprinted on Kosher Travel Info with permission
from OK Kosher Certification.
OK Kosher Certification
391 Troy Avenue,
Brooklyn, NY 11213
USA Telephone:
(718) 756-7500
Fax: (718) 756-7503
http://www.ok.org/
See also...
Passover Resorts, your complete guide to Kosher for Passover
כשר לפסח hotels, resorts and vacations.
Passover 2008 Calendar -
Pesach 5768 - פסח תשס"ח, complete dates, religious times
and more in Calendar format for April 2008.
When is Passover 2008, Pesach 5768, a short article including the
dates of Passover and the religious customs for the Month of Nissan
ניסן beyond the basics of the Seder etc.
Click here to see Passover 2007 Hotel & Vacation Guide פסח תשס"ז
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