A dinner at Jerusalem’s Inbal Hotel makes Thanksgiving and Hanukka memories that will be hard to beat.
By JOEY ECKSTEINThanksgiving turkey 521(photo credit: Courtesy)
The hanukkiot along the streets of Jerusalem may come down faster than the pounds after Thanksgiving, but if there is one thing to be thankful for, it is the memories made during that unique convergence of holidays – and a special place that celebrated them.The Inbal Jerusalem Hotel, well-known as a five-star luxury resort in the heart of the capital’s Talbiyeh neighborhood, usually takes care to create special events for its guests visiting from abroad. For the unusual occurrence of Thanksgivukkah, the annual dinner held for the American holiday was also celebrated with a festive, communal candlelighting ceremony.Alex Herman, a vice president of sales and marketing at the hotel, said that even though the Inbal is known for its famous Thanksgiving dinner, the celebration this year was extra special, with a full-spread buffet of all the traditional holiday foods, in addition to sufganiyot and latkes in honor of Hanukka. Held in one of the hotel’s impressive dining halls, the buffet included six roast turkeys, gravy, cranberry sauce, pumpkin soup, a rich selection of gourmet salads, three types of fish and artisan breads. Not to be missed was the pumpkin pie for dessert.There was a full house in attendance and a live band contributed to the festive atmosphere – and surprisingly, no one was too stuffed to shake a leg on the dance floor! The crowd was a pleasant mix of tourists, local transplants from the US and a few Sabras mixed in. Neli Lifshitz of Lawrence, New York, came to visit his two sons and brought 26 of their friends from yeshiva to the meal – all of whom stood up and said what they were thankful for. Jerusalemites Amy and David Morgen said they come to the Inbal Thanksgiving dinner annually and testify it is the best meal in Jerusalem.There was lots of emotion among the diners, including Yocheved Goldberg from Woodmere, New York, who came with her daughter and a group of friends, and said it was a once-in-alifetime experience to be spending Thanksgiving and Hanukka in the Holy City.Oded Amar, the Inbal’s food manager, was pleased with the atmosphere and happy the hotel succeeded in creating a festive, warm and happy event.For this writer, with a Sabra wife working on the holiday, it was a pleasant surprise to be able to attend such a meal, and it brought back childhood memories of family Thanksgivings in San Francisco.With discounts available online for winter, Passover packages available now for booking, tours, dining and a luxury stay, the Inbal Hotel is one of the premier hotels in Jerusalem and highly recommended for any occasion.The writer was a guest of the hotel.The Inbal Hotel Liberty Bell Park 3 Jabotinsky Street Jerusalem (02) 675-6666 or hotel@inbalhotel.com
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