By COLlive reporter
Pesach programs in hotels are facing a predicament with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) instructing to cancel all events consisting of 50 people or more to prevent the spread of coronavirus, putting a restriction on holiday plans.
But Rabbi Meir and Rivka Borenstein, organizers of the Pesach Lubavitch Experience of New York, were quick to accommodate the new regulations announcing that they will keep the program with following health guidelines and safety.
“We are rearranging plans to eliminate the buffet during meals,” they told COLlive.com on Monday. “Our staff will be preparing and serving individual plated foods for maximum protection against germs. Families will be eating together in separate areas so there won’t be any large gathering of people.”
The program is being held at a Marriott All Suites hotel that is a 2-hour drive from Crown Heights. “Each guest has their own suite – mini apartment with a table and chairs and a kitchen that will allow each family to eat on their own, in comfort,” they explained.
The three most important considerations for a successful program are:
Kashrus: This program is very medakdek, every vegetable is peeled, no outside products are used, no spices, all meat and chicken is Lubavitcher shechita. Organizers say the goal is to create a place where one can say “the kashrus, chumros and standards are like my home”
Affordability: Costs are kept as low as possible. Many guests say they are paying the same as it would cost to make Pesach at home.
Cleanliness: The program partners with a high standard luxury hotel chain to ensure impeccable cleanliness and great comfort. This year the program is being hosted in the Marriott hotel chain.
The Borensteins said that the new CDC rules will also be applied for Pesach davening, as they will hold separate minyanim in an outdoor tent at different times while keeping a safe distance.
“Being that we are keeping our program small and under 150 people, davening by us is safer than most large shuls,” they specified.
There are only 12 rooms left. Call 845-664-5141 to reserve and get more information or visit www.pesachny.com
