What is a Pesach program?
A Pesach program is an organized holiday built around the full week of Passover. Instead of cleaning, koshering and cooking at home, your family checks into a hotel where every meal, service and activity is already arranged.
A Pesach program in Israel usually includes:
- Kosher-for-Pesach meals, supervised from the first day to the last
- Communal Seders led by a rabbi or scholar in residence, and private family Seders
- Daily services in the hotel’s own synagogue
- Children’s programming and camp-style activities
- Lectures, entertainment and evening events
At Kosher Travelers’ programs, day trips during Chol Hamoed are optional and self-drive. They are not part of the package.
You spend the week keeping the chag together, not running it.
How does a Pesach program in Israel work, from first call to check-in?
Planning is simpler when you know the order it happens in. With Kosher Travelers it runs like this:
- A conversation first. We talk through your family size, budget, level of observance and where you would like to be.
- Choosing the program. A hotel in Jerusalem, a hotel on the Kinneret, or a resort by the sea in Greece.
- Booking. We arrange your room type and pass any dietary or accessibility needs to the hotel.
- Before you travel. You receive the program schedule, packing guidance and what to expect on arrival.
- At the hotel. From check-in, meals, services and the daily program run without anything for you to organize.
- During your stay. Our team is there throughout the week for questions and last-minute needs.
For Pesach 2027 we run two programs in Israel: Pesach at the Inbal in Jerusalem, April 21 to 28, and Pesach at Nof Ginosar on the Kinneret, April 21 to 29. Each page sets out the hotel, the dates and what the program includes.
What does an all-inclusive price cover?
An all-inclusive program puts the week into one price, so you know what is included before you arrive. It typically covers:
- Every kosher-for-Pesach meal, with a choice at each
- Snacks and refreshments through the day
- All lectures, entertainment and services
- Children’s and teen programming for the whole week
- At many hotels, the pools, spa and lounges
The price is higher than a standard hotel stay. Set it against the meals, the children’s program and the entertainment you would otherwise pay for one by one, and against finding kosher-for-Pesach food near the hotel yourself. For a family, three meals a day for a week is a large part of the cost of any holiday, and at Pesach it is also the hardest part to arrange.
How is Pesach in Israel different from Pesach abroad?
The calendar is the first difference. In Israel, Pesach lasts seven days, with one Seder night and one day of Yom Tov at each end. Outside Israel it lasts eight days, with two Seders and two days of Yom Tov at each end. For 2027, Pesach begins on the evening of Wednesday, April 21. It ends at nightfall on April 28 in Israel and on April 29 outside Israel. You can check the dates for any year on Hebcal, and ours are set out on Passover 2027 dates.
If your family lives outside Israel, how you keep the last day while you are visiting is a question for your own rav. Ask before you book, because it can decide which dates suit you.
The second difference is the week itself. Chol Hamoed in Israel is a public holiday week. Families are out, the country is busy, and the Kinneret and the hills around Jerusalem are at their greenest in spring. Roads and popular sites are crowded, so a quiet day at the hotel is often the better choice.
Why do families choose Israel for Pesach?
Keeping Pesach in the land the Haggadah is about gives the Seder a meaning that travelers of every age feel. You have to be at the table to know it. Families choose Israel for:
- Being close to Jerusalem and the Kinneret
- Time with local Jewish communities, and often with family who live there
- A setting where children learn their heritage by being in it
- Scholars and guest speakers as part of the program
- Celebrating freedom in the land tied to the Exodus
Jerusalem and the Kinneret make for different weeks. Jerusalem puts the Old City and the Kotel within reach. The Kinneret is quieter, with open grounds and the lake for children to enjoy.
What should you check before choosing a program?
Not every program suits every family. Five things narrow the choice.
Family size and ages. If you are a large family or traveling with young children, confirm that childcare and activities for each age group are part of the program, and ask how the days are organized.
Location. Some families want Jerusalem. Others prefer the quieter setting of the Kinneret, or a resort by the sea abroad. The place shapes the week.
Level of observance. Programs differ in how they run services, kashrut supervision and Shabbat. Ask who supervises the kitchen and what the standard is. Kosher Travelers’ programs are Glatt Kosher Mehadrin. Our guide to checking kosher food standards when you travel lists the questions to ask.
What is included. Compare what each price actually covers: meals, entertainment, services and hotel facilities. That is the only fair way to compare two prices.
Experience. Ask how long the operator has been running Pesach programs, how well it knows the hotel, and whether guests come back.
How early should you book?
Pesach programs fill months ahead, particularly at hotels with fewer rooms. If you want a particular hotel or room type, start six months to a year before the chag.
Booking early also leaves time to settle room categories and dietary requests, and to book flights in a season when travel to Israel is in high demand. Flights around Pesach rise in price as the date nears, so book them once your room is confirmed.
Should you choose Israel or a resort abroad?
It comes down to what matters most to your family. Israel gives you the land, the one Seder night and, for many, family nearby. A resort abroad gives you a different kind of week by the sea. Either way, a well-run program takes the preparation off your hands and leaves the week for the chag.
All three of our Pesach 2027 programs, in Jerusalem, on the Kinneret and in Rhodes, are on Pesach and Sukkot programs. If you would like to talk it through, speak to us and tell us your dates, your family and what matters to you.