How did you get into the travel business?
It’s actually an interesting story. We never intended to get into the travel business. When we lived in Australia we had other businesses: I was in the steel security manufacturing business and Chana was in residential real estate. One year we went on vacation to the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. Chana was pregnant with our third son and we were already thinking about the stress of Pesach even though it was still several months away. We made the decision then that we would come back for Pesach with our own food and spend the holiday there, which was possible because the area had the infrastructure of a shul and Jewish community. When we returned home and began telling our friends and community about our plans everyone wanted in. At the time, there was no Pesach program in Australia so this was a first. We ended up hosting 200 guests and imported a team of eight chefs from Israel. We did this for five years and it grew each year but it always remained a side business-hobby.
How did you go from that to living in Israel?
We always wanted to make Aliya to give our children a fuller Jewish life and better education than what we had in Australia and…because we are a little crazy to want to leave Down Under – such a beautiful country! After 17 years of marriage and four kids later, we decide it was ‘now or never’ and made a pilot trip to Israel in October 2007. We made Aliyah in March 2008. It was close to Pesach and Platinum Travel, with whom we had connected during our pilot trip, was planning to run a Pesach program at the Dead Sea for over 1,200 guests. They desperately needed help running it and we were happy to step in.
You have a prestigious, successful travel agency. How did that happen?
Eddie’s Travel was founded by Eddie Freudmann in 1976. He was from the UK and made Aliyah with his family to Netanya. He opened a travel business booking vacations and operating kosher cruises and this grew substantially. In 1986 he started a Pesach Hotel for Anglos coming to Israel. A year before we made Aliyah, Eddie suddenly passed away. His son-in-law took over the business but since he was a lawyer it was not his natural forte. We had been previously introduced to Eddie’s Travel on our pilot trip so we reconnected and bought the business in November 2008.
Why Eddie’s Kosher Travel?
Eddie’s Travel was already a very recognizable brand name in the industry with a great reputation and a strong clientele from all over the world. We changed the official name to “Eddie’s Kosher Travel & Tourism” because Eddie’s Travel didn’t have a particularly Jewish ring to it. Our market was kosher vacations and cruises and it tied in with our domain website www.koshertravelers.com. We ended up making other changes, too. The beginning of 2009 was when the Madoff scheme emerged and a major worldwide recession set in. Not the best time to get into the luxury travel business! The industry was hit hard and by Pesach of that year we were feeling the impact. We had done all our due diligence and research but nothing could have predicted this. We decided to revamp. First we merged our cruise operations with our main competitor, Kosherica Corporation. We were both feeling the crunch so by merging we became the number one player in the kosher cruises market. We also introduced a wide range of kosher land tours to exotic destinations. Then we shut the physical office and set up our staff to work from their homes. This made sense because no one walks into a travel agency anymore to make travel plans. We revamped the website and built up the Pesach programs, expanding it from one hotel to six.
How were you able to turn things around?
It’s been a process but we are seeing results. Our merged kosher cruises operation is the market leader. We run a full kosher program within the regular luxury cruise line’s program and take care of every detail from providing Shabbat elevators to Jewish heritage tours at port destinations. If a cruise leaves on a Sunday morning we organize Shabbat at the city of departure. Cruises are popular because you can visit multiple destinations and only unpack once. Our Pesach and Sukkot programs in Israel are ever popular with loyal returning clients as well as new clients from the USA, Canada, UK, South Africa and Australia as well as Anglo Israelis who have heard of our reputation and how we stand apart from our competitors. This year for Pesach we are offering a range of hotel options in Tiberias, Galil, Jerusalem, Netanya, the Dead Sea and Tel Aviv, each with added value, renowned scholars in residence, kids & teen programs, day tours and more, at unprecedented lower prices than ever before.
What are some of your crazy stories working with clients? How do you handle it?
When we see families getting together and enjoying each other’s company it makes the job worthwhile. We consider it a real privilege to be able to bring Jews together, to celebrate a special occasion or unite as one large extended family. That’s not to say there aren’t stressful moments. In this service-oriented business you have to have a thick skin while you treat every request with grace and patience. Once we got a call Erev Pesach from a client who wanted to make sure that the flowers we provided would match the color of the Haggadot. We don’t just sell rooms, we provide a unique and memorable experience. We work hard all year around to exceed our client’s expectations. In addition, we are able to do a lot of communal good through our business. By nominating a cause at each hotel, we sell Aliyot, distribute pledge forms and have managed to raise tzedaka funds for various organizations and projects. We have raised funds for a shul building fund, Yeshivat Hesder Modiin, Leket Food Bank, IYIM Singles program and Mishne Lechem. Our proudest moment was Pesach 2012 when we donated a Sefer Torah to Israel’s Iron Dome IDF base in the presence of top army brass, in honor of the company’s 25th year at the same Tiberias Hotel. We are grateful that we have the opportunity to give back to the community as it is not only about the business…
What is unique about Eddies Kosher Travel?
Hands down it is the personal connection we have with the clients – especially those who come on our chagim trips. We go above and beyond to make sure we get to know our guests on a personal level and make sure that all their needs are catered for. On our world tours and cruises, we cannot always personally be there, but the attention to detail remains the same. We make sure everything is taken care of on every level.
Are Pesach hotel programs as expensive as they appear?
Yes and no. We have packages available for all budgets, big and small. We have a signature kids-free promotion at our flagship hotel in Tiberias which takes a huge chunk off the budget. The thing you must remember is that whatever package you choose, when you go with Eddies Travel you get the added value that comes with being a guest of ours. A great tip to know is that the earlier you book the more you get because there is more availability and you can play around with more options.
Take a look at our website www.koshertravelers.com or give us a call and we’ll help you plan the perfect Pesach experience – or any vacation, for that matter – to suit your individual needs. Israel +972 2 9929801 | USA +1 646 240 4118 | Australia +612 801 44676 | Europe +44 208 819 2620
Make sure you don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.
An Interview with David Waller
