"We Only Eat Badatz." Or Do We?

Kashrut standards is often one of the subjects people are most confident about... until we start talking.

Recently I had two clients who couldn't have sounded more different. The first was Jake.

"We only eat Badatz," he told me confidently. "We'll need Badatz hotels."

"No problem," I replied.

So I began looking at hotels that cater to that market - places with a more religious atmosphere, separate swimming hours for men and women and, in some cases, no televisions in the rooms.

When I sent him my suggestions, his response completely caught me off guard.

"Oh no... not those!"

It took just a few more questions before we worked out what he actually meant.

It turned out he wasn't looking for a "Badatz hotel" at all.

He was perfectly happy staying in a Rabbinut-certified hotel. What mattered to him was having a knowledgeable mashgiach on site who could answer his questions if something came up. The certificate on the wall wasn't really the deciding factor.

A few weeks later I had almost the opposite conversation.

Maya breezily assured me, "As long as there's a hechsher, we're fine. It's Israel so I'm sure we'll manage and everything will be kosher enough for us."

Wonderful, I thought. This one sounds easy. It wasn't.

Once the trip was underway, I found myself speaking to her husband again... and again... and again.

Every restaurant recommendation led to another conversation. Had I checked with the mashgiach?

Which vegetables were they using?

Is it "cholov Yisroel"?

Which meat?

None of the questions were unreasonable.

In fact, they were all good questions.

But they were questions that hadn't come up until they were already in Israel.

Then came the hotel.

When he discovered that it wasn't strictly Shabbat observant, he was genuinely disappointed.

Neither Jake nor Maya had misled me. They were simply using shorthand for something much more nuanced.

Jake thought he wanted Badatz.

What he really wanted was someone he trusted to answer his questions.

Maya thought she was completely flexible.

What she really meant was that certain details mattered deeply to her husband, but they hadn't discussed them before they travelled.

Neither of them was right or wrong. And that's exactly the point.

When I work with clients, my job isn't to tell them what standard of kashrut they should follow.

My role is to understand what they are actually comfortable with.

Because words like Badatz, mehadrin, Rabbinut, religious hotel and even kosher don't always mean the same thing to everyone.

One family wants a hotel with separate swimming hours.

Another couldn't care less.

One family assumes every hotel in Israel will naturally be fully Shabbat observant.

Another has never even thought to ask.

One family is comfortable with a particular hashgachah.

Another isn't.

None of those choices are inherently better than the others. But they are worth thinking about before you book your trip.

That's why I ask what can sometimes feel like an endless list of questions during our planning meetings.

I'm not trying to make your life difficult. If anything, I'm trying to make sure there are no surprises once you arrive.

The more I understand your family's expectations before you travel, the easier it is to recommend hotels, restaurants and experiences that genuinely suit you.

I'd much rather spend an extra twenty minutes talking everything through on Zoom than have you standing in a hotel dining room on your first morning wondering whether you've made the right choice.

The best Israel trip isn't the one that matches my standards.

It's the one that matches yours.

If you know what matters to your family, and ask those questions before you travel rather than after you've checked in, you'll spend your time enjoying Israel instead of worrying about whether you've booked the wrong hotel or chosen the wrong restaurant.

And that's exactly where I want my clients to be.

If you're planning an Israel trip and want help deciding where to invest your time, your budget and your energy, I'd love to help you create an itinerary that's right for your family. You can reach out via my contact form

More Thoughts on Meaningful Travel in Israel

• The Best Israel Memories Don't Always Come with the Biggest Price Tag

• Coming to Israel? Here's What you Can't Plan For

• They Arrived in Israel . . . And Had Nowhere to Stay

• Visiting Israel? It's the Little Things That Can Catch You Out

• Frum & Coming to Israel? What I Wish I Had Known in Advance

• Is Now the Right Time to Come to Israel?

• A Missile Alert; A Change of Plans and a Beach Day

• When a Booking Is More Than Just a Booking

• ChatGPT? Why Your Dream Tour Needs a Human Touch

• The Biggest Mistake Families Make Planning an Israel Itinerary

• Choosing The Right Hotel

• The Day a Tour Guide Proved Me Right

• We Don't Need a Guide; We'll Manage Alone

• Why You Should Book Your Israel Hotels Through an Experienced Agent

• Hotel or Apartment? The Israel Vacation Dilemma Many Families Face