Become a Member
Travel

Next year in Tel Aviv

Our insider may be from London but has spent 26 of her 27 Passovers in Israel. Reporting from the front line (of the Tel Aviv Hilton) she shares her behind-the-scenes diary of what really goes on during Pesach in Israel

March 18, 2018 17:27
(Picture: Pixabay)
3 min read

As someone who insists on carb loading for a full three days prior to Yom Kippur, I have naturally approached the annual Pesach trip to Tel Aviv with the opposite mentality to “no carbs before Marbs” — an “eat everything in sight before Seder night” attitude.

While this has me feeling less than bikini-ready, I tell myself it’s nothing some fake tan can’t hide and console myself with copious amounts of cardboard-style shmurah matzah, as I wonder why our ancestors couldn’t have fled Egypt while they had, say, semi-baked cookies on the go.

Day 1

We’ve made it to the mothership — aka the Hilton Tel Aviv — for Seder night. The communal dining room is vast, overwhelming and very, very loud: 300 Jewish families competing to be heard is no joke. The atmosphere is great, though — it feels like a party and everyone feels lucky and happy to be here for the holiday.

Our table may resemble a general Friday night, we’re 20 strong on a regular basis, but the decibel level is out of control: aided by four cups of wine and first-night-away vibes, I’m actually managing to give myself a headache. We go round the table taking turns to read out loud.