TheSurveyor

Any advice for a family travelling to Florence/Pisa for a couple of days in the summer. Will be travelling from elsewhere in Italy staying at kosher hotels.

Thanks

craz

Pisa I have no idea was never there.

FLR theres a dairy restaurant next to the shule. Food wasn't that great but it was fresh and hot. When last there no meat restaurant except for Chabad who comes into FLR and provides Shabbos meals hoping the people will donate a lot more then what the meals are worth. Or ask the owner of the dairy restaurant if he will be in town that Shabbos, if he is he cooks and serves in his home , you need to prepay for it.

shas12

Craz never misses an opportunity to bash Chabad

craz

Its simply their MO, as ive asked at many why don't they have a set price for their meals and they told me if they don't so called charge and set a price they found people would end up giving a lot more then they would have asked

In most cases there due to the # of people who showed up,there was very little to eat, I would have preferred paying a set amount and getting a full meal. I donated in accordance to what I consumed, hopefully they didn't lose on me, doubt they made much if anything,when there wasn't enough food to call it a meal

As to FLR in particular, there is NO Chabad in FLR, they live all week in Bolonga(? on the spelling) where theres a med school. But since no one goes there they set up shop in FLR to make their $$ by having Shabbos meals. I call them as I see them and I refuse to call a cat a duck, if that means Im bashing then Im extremely proud of that. but all Im doing is calling it as it is and not covering my eyes to what is happening. And yes Ive been told at some of the locations that things are treid at 1 place and if it works it gets passed around to all the centers to copy as well

fwiw,its already Motzei Shabbos here in Israel

shas12

Thats why I love Chabad and their Rabbis, no matter your attitude, they will welcome you & all your Vanila card reloads types.
All whom feel entitled as they gave a 15 Euro "donation" they will be welcomed with a smile, and provided with Kosher food and Jewish service needs in all corners of the world

craz

I believe you have me mixed up with the idiot DDers of which Im not a member of nor post there Its so nice to see you know what you are talking about.For starters Ive been a UA 1K for 10 yrs+ and last year became a 1MM with UA, you can only get those by paying for tkts and unlike AA of yesteryear purchases on a CC was worth Zippo towards both

Ive done the same with KZ in HKG which is not chabad but does provide Shabbos meals, I wanted to prepay and was told its by donation only (they have a full service restaurant all week with set prices but like chabad feel they will get more $$ if they keep the Shabbos meals to donations instead of fixed prices). And so like with chabad if they are over runned with people which leaves each person getting close to 1/3 of a reg portion chabad is usually < that, I donate accordingly

Sorry but the smiles in these places is for the $$ they hope to reap. I never had any problems in VIE,PRG or BUD where there are restaurants where you prepay and get 2 full meals and are anything but inexpensive I would gladly pay the same at KZ or a chabad if they only had such a system but they don't since they hope people will donate 2 or 3 times the amount they would have charged Its their decision and I will donate accordingly

how come you didn't comment on how theres no chabad in FLR except for Shabbos meals and how they are over an hour away all week and don't have anything to do with FLR except for meals on Shabbos where they hope to make some big $$$s? yea I know they come to FLR against their better judgement but do so, so any Jewish traveler will have meals, yet the owner of the dairy restaurant can provide that. Its simple Shabbos meals is how they earn their $$$

If you guys will only be honest and call a duck a duck and not a horse, but that's way too much to ask for. Its funny those running these places if you speak to them willfully admit to why they do what they do, as many have to me, its everyone else that gets their undies in a tight spot

Its also funny how in many places like in FLR they will tell you you cant rely on the owner of the restaurant and not to eat there, yet the whole week long they aren't to be found in FLR or supply any food, if supplying kosher food was so important why aren't they doing it all week long? 1 answer I got was not enough $$ to be made, those places where they can make some good money have set up shop all week long. Italy is also different since in most places chabad set up shop and tried to take over all the Jewish insitutions they ended up warring with the locals whom still don't welcome them

but as I answered the OP regarding FLR theres only 1 dairy restaurant and for Shabbos the owner cooks and has people over in his apt (prepaying)or chabad sets up shop (Shabbos only) Pisa I haven't been to but I doubt theres anything there

jorjito11

FYI there has been a Chabad Rabbi Based in FLR for the past 2 years or so.

craz

OK but that doesnt change how they operated there till then, Id be very surprised if the folks from Bolonga simply turned over the Shabbos meal program to the new guy since that was their main stay of getting the $$ they needed to run their programs in Bolonga. W/o knowing anything Id say its either their son or son-in-law or some relative that runs FLR. Thasts imply how Chabad works its like Mickey Ds it gives out franchisee areas where no one else can set up shop w/o approval or working things out with the folks who have laid claim to that area,(understandingly).

The bad thing as the MO of Chabad has been in Italy among other places they will try their darnest to take over the shule and all control of everything from the locals (not saying this is done in every location they operate in!, eg The guy in HKG is extremely well liked by the community and AFAIK he never tried to wrest control of HKG from the locals and they wanted him to stay that they purchased an apt for him so that he wouldnt leave HKG) Wish it was like in all the locales, rather then a push to take everything over and get rid of everything that existed till then and control all the $$$