Why is this vacation different from all others?
Passover commemorates the Israelites' escape from slavery, but for some Jews, the weeklong holiday has come to mean toil they would just as soon leave behind.
Instead of cleansing their houses of all leavened grains, unpacking dishes reserved for Passover and cooking traditional meals at home, an increasing number choose to pack their bags and spend the holiday at hotels, international resorts and on Caribbean cruises.
This week, about 150 people are relaxing at the Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center in Reisterstown, the third time conference staff have offered a Passover program. There, they are enjoying food prepared under rabbinical supervision and workshops about Judaism in a scrubbed facility with family and friends.
That's what attracted Arthur and Barbara Weinrach of Allentown, Pa., who are spending Passover at Pearlstone with their daughter, Julie, from Pittsburgh, Pa., and their son Yaakov and his family from Columbus, Ohio.
"We wanted to be with our grandchildren, and not be tied up with various domestic activities," said Arthur Weinrach.
Rituals vary
The rituals of preparing the home for Passover vary with levels of observance. Some Reform Jews do little more than abstain from the more obvious chametz, or leavened grain products like bread and pasta. The most observant may spend long days before the holiday scouring traces of chametz, including grains such as rice and corn, from every corner of the house. The practice recalls the Israelites' hasty departure from Egypt, so abrupt they couldn't wait for their bread to rise, which in turn gave rise to the tradition of eating matzo during the holiday.
Many observant families use dishes reserved only for Passover from sundown at the start of the first day until the holiday ends seven days later and insist on only eating processed foods certified as kosher for Passover.
Jews also hold a seder, or ritual meal, on the first two nights of Passover - which was Monday and Tuesday - to retell the story of the exodus from Egypt. The seder includes asking four questions stemming from one major one: "Why is this night different from all other nights?" Extended families often gather to celebrate, which means many more people to feed and entertain.
Like the Weinrachs, other guests agreed that handing off the duties enables them to enjoy Passover without the work.
