Where to Go for the Tishrei Holidays 5787: Minyanim, Holiday Meals, and Sukkot Abroad
The Tishrei holidays 5787 are approaching: Rosh Hashana falls this year starting the evening of September 11 (Friday-Shabbat, September 12-13, 2026), Yom Kippur starting the evening of September 20 (Monday, September 21), and Sukkot from the evening of September 25 through October 4 (including Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah). Anyone planning to spend part of the holidays abroad - for work, visiting family, or simply a chol hamoed trip - should start planning now. Here's what to know, and where to consider going this year.
Before you go: 3 things to plan ahead
First, a minyan: even communities with a fixed Chabad house sometimes need reinforcement on the holidays - it's worth contacting the synagogue or Chabad house at your destination a few weeks ahead to confirm a minyan is planned for every holiday prayer, including shofar blowing on Rosh Hashana and Kol Nidrei on Yom Kippur. Second, holiday meals: many places require advance registration for Rosh Hashana and Sukkot meals, and can fill up weeks before the holiday - especially smaller destinations with a single Chabad house. Third, and especially for Sukkot: not every destination has a public sukkah available to travelers - it's worth checking ahead whether the Chabad house or hotel offers one, and if not, planning an alternative.
Cyprus (Larnaca) — the closest and easiest
A short flight from Israel to the Mediterranean coast, with a lively Jewish community around Chabad of Larnaca and three kosher restaurants (Sambation, Shemayim, Burger Philosophy) near Finikoudes Beach. A particularly convenient destination for Rosh Hashana or a Sukkot chol hamoed trip without much complex planning - close, accessible, and no time difference.
Prague and Budapest — chol hamoed with history
Both capitals offer some of Eastern Europe's richest kosher infrastructure - Prague has five kosher restaurants and historic synagogues like the Old-New Synagogue, while Budapest has nine kosher restaurants and bakeries on Kazinczy Street alone, alongside the Dohány Street Synagogue, the largest in Europe. A rare combination of rich city tourism with Jewish infrastructure that doesn't require compromises - ideal for a Sukkot chol hamoed trip.
Vienna — an established community, varied restaurants
Austria's capital offers an active Jewish community around Chabad Vienna and the only historic synagogue to survive World War II, alongside four varied kosher restaurants (Alef-Alef, Mea Shearim, Prego, Simchas) - a good fit for anyone looking for a classic European chol hamoed trip with full confidence in food and minyan availability.
Bangkok — a holiday on the Israeli backpacker trail
Chabad House Ohr Menachem in the Khao San area, famous for Passover Seders that draw hundreds of participants, also runs a meat restaurant, a Jewish cafe (JCafe), and its own dairy cafe - and regularly hosts holiday meals for backpackers and travelers throughout the year. An unusual option for anyone who wants to celebrate the holidays as part of a longer trip through the East.
Dubai — the new, fast-growing destination
Since the Abraham Accords in 2020, Dubai has become a fast-developing Orthodox Jewish destination - with the Gulf's first kosher supermarket, a kosher restaurant inside the Burj Khalifa ('The Kosher Place'), and Chabad of the United Arab Emirates hosting a growing community. A surprising option for anyone looking to spend Rosh Hashana or Sukkot combined with a futuristic city experience - worth contacting ahead, since the infrastructure is still relatively small for the destination's size.
Whether you choose a short flight to Cyprus, a classic chol hamoed trip in Prague or Budapest, or something more unusual in Bangkok or Dubai - the common rule for all these destinations is planning ahead: a minyan, holiday meals, and a sukkah (for Sukkot) are all worth confirming weeks in advance, not the day before the holiday. Shana tova u'metuka!
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