I couldn’t help but overhear the following conversation in my synagogue the other day. “I will be traveling to a party of 22 including my parents, children and grandchildren and will check in 51 suitcases.” The Klein family is headed to Israel for the Sukkot holiday and will be joining a record number of holiday tourists and vacationers. The Kleins will be staying in a rented apartment, have secured a driver, and are holding tickets to two concerts. My take is that the Covid era is over, especially as it pertains to Israel, that people are spending a lot of money, and hotels are just an option, not a must.
Klein’s friends rented a 7-room apartment through Airbnb while Klein himself is using a friend’s apartment in a luxury building. He also worked for days to secure restaurant reservations although he turned to me to help him negotiate the kashrus scene in Israel these days. A business associate of his is spending Sukkot in Greece. More than a half million Israelis will be traveling to destinations all over the world to celebrate Sukkot. Wow! Kosher travel is back big time!
