This article should begin with its ending: My conclusion – phere there is no antisemitism in the Costa Cruises company. And after this opening/closing, it should be clarified what is behind it.
Well, in July 2024, reports emerged regarding issues with kosher flights. 3 Jewish tourists were notified that Costa refused to provide kosher services. David Cruise canceled a cruise at the last minute. Other operators, ‘Kosher Cruises’ and ‘Destinations 613’ at least appeared, and their customers received food of a lower quality than expected. Some travelers even sent me photos via WhatsApp showing food served on disposable cardboard plates.
The CEO of ‘Destinations 613′, Yossi Zablouki launched a campaign accusing Costa of mistreating Jewish travelers because of antisemitism. This sparked outrage among Jewish tourism professionals, including myself. Believing the reports, I shared the information after a superficial investigation, assuming that American media colleagues had confirmed it in detail. As a result, I published an article detailing these incidents and the tourists’ claims of antisemitism, along with Costa’s response: “We are well aware of the Kosher food requirements, and we have supported have successfully provided Kosher food requests on board Costa ships several times a year for decades and we will continue. To do so in the future After that, if the tour does not meet the minimum reservations required, it would be impossible for us to provide Kosher food”.
Jewish tourism companies said they were told just two weeks before departure that fewer than 100 passengers would take kosher food. When questioned, a Costa spokesperson explained: “We share the guests’ disappointment that more notice was not given by the tour company. and we learned that the tour company did not notify them.”
Dissatisfied with Costa’s response, I took a kosher cruise aboard the Costa Toscana ship from Barcelona to Rome to investigate for myself. From personal experience, I can now confirm that there is no antisemitism on board Costa cruises. Travelers freely wore kippahs and tzitzits, dining on delicious, varied food served respectfully, without disposable plates. Costa gave us a spacious hall for prayer. Costa even taught their waiters to greet us “Shabbat Shalom” in Hebrew. Actually, I find the Jewish Coast friendly.
Captain Valestra (Left), hotel manager Miguel Munir, and owners of David’s cruise, Levi Itzhak Yifrach & David Malka.
Captain Giulio Valestra clarified that the alleged incident of banning a rabbi from the kitchen was misunderstood: “I instructed the rabbi and the Israeli manager to enter the kitchen. not alonebut with our employees, because of new safety guidelines.” When pressed about the late warning to Israeli representatives, he deflected responsibility to Costa’s marketing department.
Miguel Munir, the ship’s hotel manager, explained that recent restrictions on kitchen access came from safety concerns after an incident in another Costa boat last year, in which a visitor almost caused a fire.
The ship’s kitchen manager, Eugenio Diano, refused to speak to me at first. After his manager Miguel agreed, he said: “I was there, and I prevented the rabbi and his team from entering the kitchen. Why? In accordance with our strict health regulations, all kitchen staff must provide a non-contagious medical certificate. All the kosher operators know this time as well as they did before because without a medical certificate, I cannot allow them to enter the kitchen, I fulfilled my duty to work”. He argues. and explains further: “It’s also about interpersonal relationships. When a tourism operator makes requests politely, like Yitzhak Levy, we try to accommodate them. But, when other people come to us with aggression, threats and insults, they will get a different response from us to meet their demands.”
After my research at sea aboard Toscana, I confidently affirm: there is no antisemitism in Costa Cruises. It seems that financial disagreements and disputes, not antisemitism, prompted the allegations of public scandal from Destinations 613, which led Costa to end his business relationship with Yossi Zablouki.
Reflecting on my previous accusations in the Jewish travelers online magazine, I realize my mistake, and I apologize to Costa for introducing antisemitic intent where there was none.
