Last Updated on September 16, 2014
How much are you likely to spend this Rosh Hashanah?
A frugal & an expensive menu price comparison
It seems like every time we go shopping in Israel, food prices have risen. As at October 2021, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) statistic states that the average monthly wage in Israel is 11,772 shekels. From a past survey we did, we know that many olim are not earning as much as that.
With the Rosh Hashanah just around the corner, we are faced with an exorbitant food bill this month. We work long, hard hours and often don’t have the time to stand and prepare traditional foods like our mothers and grandmothers did before us.
Good news, if you are living on a tight budget and looking for a frugal menu, you can cater for erev chag for around 60 shekels per person.
We shopped on the Shufersal website (it’s the most user friendly of all supermarket websites to navigate if you speak Hebrew. No English option though) – Israel’s largest supermarket chain – to price a simple, yet convenient Rosh Hashanah meal. Our costs are based on popular brands and items on special offer. This is our suggested menu and this is what we found:
| Price
Per kg or per item |
Real cost per menu item incl. extra ingredients & seasonings | |
| Starters | ||
| Chicken wings for chicken soup + extra ingredients and seasonings | 11.90/kg | 25.00 |
| Entree | ||
| Ready made gefilte fish | 11.90/ 6 pieces | 11.90 |
| Make your own gefilte fish with fresh carp + extra ingredients and seasonings and ghrain (horseradish) | 19.90/kg | 35.00 |
| Grilled salmon + extra ingredients and seasonings | 74.90 per kg | 85.00 |
| Main Course | ||
| Roast chicken + extra ingredients and seasonings | 18.90 per kg | 40.00 (based on 1.5kg) |
| Roast beef – sinta + extra ingredients and seasonings | 99.00 per kg | 175.00 (based on 1.5kg) |
| Side Dishes | ||
| Salad (ready pack) + extra ingredients | 10.90 | 20.00 |
| Salad dressing | 10.90 | 10.90 |
| Mixed vegetables – frozen | 11.90 | 11.90 |
| Potatoes | 3.90/kg | 5.00 |
| Basmati rice/kg | 11.90 | 11.90 |
| Desert | ||
| Slab of parev ice-cream | 15.00 | 15.00 |
| Honey cake | 10.00 | 10.00 |
| Extras | ||
| Grape juice | 15.90 | 15.90 |
| Fruit juice | 5.90 ea | 5.90 |
| Honey | 15.90 | 15.90 |
| Apples | 9.90/kg | 5.90 |
| Challah | 10.90 ea | 21.80 |
| Simanim | ||
| Assorted items – conservative estimate | 40.00 | 40.00 |
| Total cost 562.00 shekels |
The luxury shopping cart for 2017 i.e. all the items on our list, would cost, 562 Shekels which is 40 shekels more than 2016
Our frugal menu only includes the cheapest items from the luxury menu.
| Item | Cost in Shekels |
| Soup | 25.00 |
| Entree | 11.90 |
| Main course | 40.00 |
| Assorted vegetables and salad | 36.90 |
| Desert | 25.00 |
| Extras | 65.40 |
| Simanim | 40.00 |
| Total for this basic shopping cart | 244.20 |
In 2016, taking the cheapest item from each group, the cost of this trolley was 212.00 Shekels
In 2017, taking the cheapest item from each group, the cost of this trolley is 244.20 Shekels
For those of you who are on a tight budget, you can make a Rosh Hashanah meal for 4, for just over 244 shekels and if you are in a position to splurge, you can spend 550 shekels or more for 4. This works out at between 60 – 130 shekels per person.
We invite all our creative chefs to share their frugal menu with us.
Whatever you choose, my you have a Chag Sameach, a happy, sweet and healthy year!
