This holiday marks the liberation of the Jewish people from enslavement in Egypt. On the eve of first day, Jewish families get together for the Seder, the traditional holiday dinner. This results in traffic jams from and to Tel Aviv in the early evening and then again later at night. Besides bars and a few restaurants and cafes, businesses are closed.

During Pesach some restaurants and all grocery stores abstain from serving/selling wheat-made products, such as bread and pasta, as they are banned by the Jewish custom. The kosher substitute for bread is called Matza, but many find it rather bland. Of the countless special deserts served in restaurants on Pesach, only a handful are any good.