Summer travel-Glatt kosher cruises to Israel

Posted

By Malka Eisenberg

Issue of Dec. 12, 2008 / 15 Kislev 5769

Travelers can visit Israel in style this summer aboard a luxury cruise ship, as part of summer vacation packages being offered by two different companies, Lasko Kosher Cruises, and Kosherica.

The Lasko offering is a 13-day tour of Mediterranean sites including Israel and Egypt this summer aboard Celebrity Cruise’s new ship, the Equinox.

“In our talks with Celebrity we discussed different possibilities and this came up,” explained Sam Lasko, president of Lasko Kosher Cruises. “It’s a wonderful opportunity; we are very excited about it and Celebrity is very excited about it.”

The “Ancient Empires” cruise will depart from Rome on Aug 18, with port calls at Athens and Rhodes, Greece; Ephesus, Turkey; Alexandria, Egypt; and Haifa and Ashdod, Israel.

Passengers will tour sites and visit ruins at these locations while traveling aboard a luxurious ship and being served three fresh glatt kosher, or cholov yisroel meals plus snacks daily. Lasko also provides a shul with three minyanim a day, included in the cost and reserved for Lasko Kosher Cruise passengers.

“It’s huge,” said Lasko. “It’s a gorgeous ship.”

He noted that the Equinox is still under construction but that its sister ship, the Solstice, is “unbelievable... just magnificent.” The Equinox will have a passenger capacity of 2,850 with 1,425 cabins. The ship is 1,033 feet long and weighs 122,000 tons.

The onboard rav hamachshir will be Rabbi Yossi Birnbaum, who will bring along a team of six mashgichim. One designated kitchen is kashered before the ship sets sail and the mashgichim monitor it 24-7 during the voyage. A representative of the company is aboard every cruise as well.

The cruise also has a scholar in residence program, lectures, and Jewish entertainment. The summer cruise will feature Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and singer Avrumi Flaum.

“In all 22 years in the business we never had a problem with kashrus or digestive disorders,” Lasko emphasized, noting that people who are normall not kosher might be interested in a kosher cruise, due to the added food supervision. “We’ve had that happen before.”

“Kineinahora, in 2008, we had over 700 people travel with us in all the different cruises,” he continued. “The cost of the cruise includes the cruise and the local tour.”

Kosherica also is offering a first time cruise to Israel, departing from Barcelona, Spain on Aug. 9. For two weeks, they will travel to Tunisia, Malta, Greece, Egypt, Israel, Cyprus and Turkey.

“We do have a cruise to Israel, in the works since last Pesach,” said Josh Weiss, senior agent at Kosherica Cruises and tours. “It’s a six star level cruise; the cruise line is the Oceania and the ship is the Insignia.”

Like the Lasko package, it is a a Glatt kosher component of a regular cruise.

For further information on Lasko Kosher Cruises, see www.koshercruises.com or call (866) 604-9838. For information on Kosherica, visit www.kosherica.com or call (877) 724-5567.