An orthodox Jewish group appealed today to Israeli backpackers visiting Nepal to bring kosher food for what they claim is the world's biggest Passover celebration after a diplomats' strike threatened to cancel the event.
Chabad House Nepal, which organises a Passover celebration in Kathmandu every year, attracting hundreds of visitors from around the world, usually relies on the Israeli embassy to help import supplies for the feast to the Himalayan nation.
The Passover holiday celebrates the biblical flight of the 12 tribes of Israel from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land.
Food shipments for this year's celebration on April 14 have been delayed due to a strike over salaries by Israeli foreign ministry employees at home and at diplomatic missions abroad.
"We have not been able to get any shipments through, so we are asking all the backpackers coming from Israel to bring three-to-four kilos (seven to nine pounds) of food supplies with them," said Rabbi Chezki Lifshitz, co-director of Chabad House Nepal.
The Chabad House centres in Israel have contacted backpackers planning to attend the feast next month and will hand over food supplies to them, Lifshitz told AFP.
"If about 100-200 people agree to bring ingredients with them, we will be able to manage a successful feast," he said.
Traditionally, Passover is celebrated with only close family, but around 25 years ago the embassy began to invite Israeli tourists in Kathmandu to share in a meal, kicking off an event that organisers say is the world's largest "seder".
For Passover, kosher laws forbid leavened and fermented grain products. These include foods like breads and pasta.
The requirement for unleavened food is because when the Jews escaped Egypt they had no time to let their breads rise. Instead, for Passover, Jews eat matzo, an unleavened bread.
