Hanoi, Vietnam: Italian-Style Gefilte Fish to Feature at Seder

With a blowtorch in his hand, Rabbi Menachem Hartman, co-director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Vietnam, koshered various utensils in preparation for Passover as he quickly contemplated whether or not his Ho Chi Minh Chabad House would fit all of the registered guests. Late in the night, he and his wife, fellow co-director Rachel Hartman, decided to split up the group into the Israeli backpackers and all other Jewish tourists, and have one group celebrate the Seder one block away at the Continental Hotel.

After Shabbat, rabbinical students from New York will cart food from the Chabad House to the hotel and lead the Seder there. The menu, prepared by a local Italian chef, will feature a special Bolognese gefilte fish.

Another Seder in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi will be run by rabbinical students who koshered a local kitchen and spent the past week preparing the holiday foods with a local chef.