"I feel like my religious practices are not being respected by the Dining Services," Jonathan Eisenberg '09 said. "The hours, the quality, and the expense are all terrible. It really doesn't seem just."
Eisenberg pointed out that the Pavilion was closed on the first two evenings of Passover, with the assumption that students keeping Kosher would be attending Seders at the Roth Cener for Jewish Life on those nights.
"Sure, the Seder is a meal, but it's also a three or four hour ceremony. A lot of students like me who don't have time to attend the ceremony still want to be able to eat dinner," Eisenberg said.
David Newlove, the assistant director of DDS, said that the Pavilion has not directly received any complaints from students about the availability of their Kosher option for Passover.
"I think we do an excellent job," Newlove said. "We work very closely with the Roth Center to help Jewish students that are on campus get the food they need for Passover."
Newlove conceded that the prices for Kosher food during Passover were "25 to 30 percent more expensive" than the Pavilion's usual Kosher option. He explained that since Kosher dining regulations are much stricter during Passover, the cost of preparing the food inevitably goes up.
Newlove described the hours of the Pavilion as "very reasonable," and added that he expects all Dartmouth students that keep Kosher for Passover to come to the Pavilion for their dining needs.
"[DDS] does offer matzah at other locations, but for a full Kosher meal students should really come to the Pavilion. That's what it's built for."
Robert Lester, manager of the Pavilion, declined to comment.
Eisenberg's criticisms were echoed by Dani Rothenberg '09, who said that his soccer practice schedule was incompatible with the Pavilion's limited hours during Passover.
"On Thursday and Friday all I had to eat was matzah," Rothenberg said. "The only way I survived was by going to Chabad and they gave me food. I got dinner there, but during the day I barely ate anything.
"The first time I was able to get a Kosher lunch from Pavilion was yesterday, and I think it cost me like $24.00. It's just one meal, and if it's something you don't like, you're screwed," he said.
Rothenberg expressed concern that Jewish prospective students visiting Dartmouth would be displeased with the limited dining options available for occasions such as Passover.
"From a lot of people I've talked to who want to come to Dartmouth, the first thing they look at is the Jewish presence. In terms of the Jewish population here, I think we've gotten a lot better, but the dining options really turn people off," Rothenberg said, noting that Harvard University has much larger Kosher dining facilities than Dartmouth.
Rabbi Moshe Gray, Executive Director of Chabad at Dartmouth, said that he was aware of student dissatisfaction with the Pavilion's Kosher option for Passover.
"The main problem I heard is the times that the Pavilion is open, and that they are closed weekends," Gray said. "I have also heard that there need to be more [Kosher dining options] available for students campus-wide."
The fact that Pavilion was closed over the weekend was a serious concern for Allison Caley '09, who said she had to break Passover over the weekend because keeping Kosher was "not an option."
"What's the point of having Pavilion if it's not open on weekends? It's not as if those with special dietary needs don't need to eat on the weekends or give up those needs," Caley said.
Rabbi Edward Boraz of Dartmouth Hillel said that he has not heard any student complaints on Kosher option during Passover. Rabbi Boraz leads a Reform Jewish congregation, while Rabbi Gray leads an Orthodox Jewish congregation.
"The people from Pavilion and I are always looking for ways to improve service. But I feel we're doing a good job," Boraz said, pointing out that less than a decade ago DDS did not offer any Kosher option over Passover whatsoever.
"I think it's really improved over time," he added.
