(Courtesy of Royal Passover) Though Jamaica boasts over 400 years of rich Jewish history and is a prime location for family-friendly vacations, there has never been an organized Passover program for Jewish tourists on the island. That will change later this month, when a new partnership with the Jamaica Tourist Board, the Chabad of Jamaica and Royal Passover brings the first-ever strictly kosher Jamaica Passover program to the five-star Melia Braco Village in Montego Bay.
“We are thrilled to partner with Royal Vacations to bring the first-ever Jamaican Passover program to the island,” said Jamaica’s Director of Tourism Donovan White. “Jamaica has long been an ideal destination for Jewish families looking for both a tropical island getaway and a healthy dose of Jewish heritage, and the Jamaican Passover program is a great addition to the ‘Jewish Jamaica’ experience.”
Seeing untapped potential for Jewish tourism in Jamaica, Tzvi Berg, a veteran of the Passover program industry and the director of Royal Passover, has embraced the island vibes and is working to make Montego Bay the next big destination for Passover programming, as well as Jewish weddings and bar mitzvahs.
“Jamaica is well known for her extraordinary natural beauty and world-renowned culture, but many do not know about her Jewish history and the many Jewish historical sites that dot the island. These include several preserved Jewish cemeteries, the final resting places of some of the Jewish pirates of the Caribbean, and the 100-year-old Shaare Shalom Synagogue, one of four remaining sand floor synagogues in the world,” said Berg. “It is my mission to make Jamaica truly accessible to strictly kosher tourists by removing the kosher food concern entirely and providing Jewish heritage tours and programs.”
The Royal Passover program and the Chabad of Jamaica will make the struggle of finding kosher food on the island a thing of the past. Under the strict supervision of Rabbi Yaakov Raskin, co-director of Chabad of Jamaica, the program will highlight delicious kosher cuisine.
In addition to steel drums and beachside barbecues, Royal Passover hopes to inspire its guests with a private Jewish music festival featuring world-class entertainment including Avraham Fried, Cantor Yaakov Motzen and Nissim Black among others. The program will also include stimulating lectures by Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie, Rabbi Arthur Schneier, to name a few.
To find out more about Royal Passover’s all-inclusive program at the Melia Braco Village in Montego Bay, Jamaica, please visit www.RoyalPassover.com.
