Starting the first night of Pesach at the Seder people began falling ill with gastrointestinal symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration. A significant number of those who fell ill sought medical attention at the Littleton General Hospital who in turn alerted the New Hampshire Health and Human Services fearing some sort of outbreak.
The incident broke out at the Home Style Pesach getaway in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where approximately 150 were attending. The New Hampshire Health and Human Services reported to the hotel and took samples of the prepared foods while instructing the rest be disposed of, but there was no fear for a widespread outbreak and health officials did not shut down the event.
Lubavitchers Hospitalized During Pesach Getaway
FRANCONIA, NH [CHI] — More than 70 people attending a Pesach getaway in Franconia, New Hampshire became sick after eating food prepared by others attending the getaway, initial cause was determined to be by salmonella.
Starting the first night of Pesach at the Seder people began falling ill with gastrointestinal symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration. A significant number of those who fell ill sought medical attention at the Littleton General Hospital who in turn alerted the New Hampshire Health and Human Services fearing some sort of outbreak.
The incident broke out at the Home Style Pesach getaway in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, where approximately 150 were attending. The New Hampshire Health and Human Services reported to the hotel and took samples of the prepared foods while instructing the rest be disposed of, but there was no fear for a widespread outbreak and health officials did not shut down the event.
Dr. Jose Montero who is a state epidemiologist with the New Hampshire Health and Human Services told CrownHeights.info that preliminary samples taken by the hospital showed traces of salmonella contamination as the cause for the people falling ill, and as of now they have no definita answer as to what was actually contaminated, and will only know early next week.
Salmonellosis is an infection with bacteria called salmonella. Most persons infected with salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment.
dcg
nebah
really sorry
I feel really bad for the Kesslers. I know how much care they were putting in to making this a success. We were going to go there but for personal reasons we stayed home. They are such a nice young couple, & it seemed like a great deal. I hope everyone is OK.
BH
omg. I was thisclose to going there.
a poshuter yid
what happened to lubavitch eating outside of your house on Pesach????????????
Yossel
Good Lord, I also was this close to going there, I decided to spend Pesach in Toronto CA. Thornhill
lala
but who the heck would want to stay for the remainding days…so gross.. bh I stayed home…
CSC
Me too — I had thought of going there. Felt wistful ’cause I didn’t have the $$$$$.
How unfortunate for those who did go there. Refuah shelaimah.
unknown
who the heck wouldnt want to stay the last days?
Some Weirdo
This is a freak accident. I know the people putting this together worked very hard and did a great job. I did’t go this year but maybe I’ll go next year.
also really sorry
I agree…
and it should have been a great yom tov..things happen. it’s not even like it was the first this was done
hmmm
I emailed them pleading for them to work with my budget but of all the hotels I contacted they were the only ones who did not dignify my please with so much as a reply…I feel bad for the victims, but what happened to “kol dichfin”?
Sympathetic
Totally true…
its not like someone planned on this happening. Oish feel so bad for all those attending cuz it sure must have been hard! Im guessing, if everyone got better within a couple days like i heard they did, second days would be very nice! Baruch Hashem everyone is ok.
Milhouse
But what is this about the food having been “prepared by others attending the getaway”, or as another news report had it, a potluck? Was all that just a stupid reporter’s mistake?
LEARN A LESSON
follow the chabad minhag of not eating by others on Pessach, as stated in Hayom Yom
TO HMMMM
TO HMMM
STOP ASSUMING AND LOOK AT THE WEBSITE!!!
If you’d have checked the web site you would have seen that the email was down. (or it could have been a host of other things)
Instead you decided to assume that “they wouldn’t even dignify you with a reply”
Shame on you for jumping on the gossip bandwagon.
huh?
potluck? they had a cook and kitchen staff working. no other food was brought in
YSL
Is this what we have fallen to? Slandering our fellow brethern on a website? Hiding in cyberspace as our words shoot arrows into the hearts of the organizers? I question the entire point of the article! Not one person commented questioning the point of this moytei sheiym rah!
How dare we quote the Hayom Yom, or use any other Jewish source as a basis for belittlement of another Jew. Especially during the sefira!!
B”H, everyone recovered, and I am told that the remaining days were enjoyed.
With Brachos for ahavas yisroel leading to the geula,
TO ALL OF THE FINGER POINTERS
B“H
This could have happened at any of the homes in Crown Heights.
The fact that there were this many people at the lodge only means that there were more people affected.
But the fact is, that this could have happened at anyone’s home, especially at Pesach, when so many things are different in a kitchen.
It is also very likely that no matter how many precautions were taken in the kitchen, it could have been related to factors beyond the staff’s control, such as items (eggs, etc.) with wrong ”Use By“ dates on the package. Or there could have been any number of other factors.
Again, since this could have happened in ANY home in Crown Heights, the loshon hara must end NOW.
And as for those who say that everyone must eat in their own homes on Pesach:
1) And what are the service providers supposed to do, who work overtime right up to the last minute, to help OTHER people get ready for Pesach? Sometimes it is physically impossible to work 18-hour days as a Sheitel macher, dry cleaner, etc. AND make Pesach at your own home.
2) Whatever happened to ”Whoever is hungry, let him come and eat?“ Should ”Whomever“ be out of luck, because they were supposed to read Hayom Yom and somehow ”not go out“ to eat on Pesach?
3) Many people are blessed with extended family to whom they can go, as an alternative to making Pesach themselves. But what about the Ba’alei Teshuvah, the FFB who are orphans, the families who just went through some kind of medical crisis in the month before Pesach, etc.?
4) There are families who have no other time to go away together as a family, other than Pesach. Maybe the father cannot get time off in the summer when the children are available.
There are many valid reasons to sometimes go away for Pesach when one has the opportunity, the means, and the compelling reason.
Just because this horrible thing occurred, is not a reason to stand by the sidelines and criticize people, without being in on what was really happening there.
You who judge this way will be similarly judged, so learn to stop this mishugas now!
PS — I have absolutely no connection nor any vested interest in the ”Home Style Pesach” event, nor with its organizers. I stayed home, made Pesach here in Crown Heights, etc.