Jerusalem – Due to unavoidable timing, President Barack Obama and his entire entourage will be limited to a kosher menu at their hotel during the president’s upcoming visit to Israel.

HAARETZ (http://bit.ly/12HMLZ5) reports that the King David Hotel, where Obama and his entourage will occupy all of its 233 rooms from Wednesday March 20 through Friday March 22, has been forced to limit its menu due to the proximity of Obama’s visit to the upcoming holiday of Pesach.

Time restraints would have made it impossible for the hotel to transition quickly enough for the holiday after the president’s visit.

“We’re used to hosting heads of state and also American presidents, but this situation is very special for us because it’s so close to Pesach,” says Dror Danino, King David Hotel manager. “For us it will be double preparations.”

In accordance with strict, additional security measures that accompany a presidential visit, all necessities required to properly service Obama’s three-day stay must be delivered and stored prior to his arrival.

Subsequently, the King David has been forced to rent massive refrigerated containers that will store food and beverages deliveries they will be unable to accept while the president is in residence.

Hotel officials hope the refrigerated units will expedite a smooth transition for the Pesach guests who will start arriving within hours of the president’s departure.

Danino says the hotel will essentially be “under siege,” catering to every need the president and his staff will require, but said he is confident the extensive experience of the hotel staff will assure that things go smoothly.

The staff is anticipating an increase in room service, which will be open 24 hrs. to accommodate staffers after late night meetings, and hopes the unavailability of cheeseburgers and club sandwiches will not be too much of an inconvenience.

Executive Chef Michel Nabet said he understands the upcoming challenges in satisfying the president’s needs, but says the solution is to come up with acceptable alternatives rather than imitation dishes.

“Today, there are replacements—we can do a decent roll that will taste a lot like brioche,” says Nabet. “But I prevent my staff from working with a pasta that is not so good. So we won’t eat pasta and Obama won’t either, it’s not so bad. We’ll eat more fresh vegetables—we have no shortage of ingredients.”

While declining to reveal his menu, Nabet says he is not enamored with catering to political palates.

“I’m not trying to find out what he likes and recreate it here. We have very good food here and we’ll serve it well, in the best way possible. Whatever he’s used to eating there, well, it just can’t be translated into a menu here.”

The staffer with the most experience catering to world leaders will be Morris Omezguine, the hotel’s head waiter of 45 years. Omezguine has served Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Menachem Begin, and in his first year, David Ben-Gurion.

Omezguine says he is happy about Obama’s upcoming visit, but not ‘nervous.’

“I got nervous once,” recalls Omezguine. “[Anwar] Sadat and Begin were meeting, and they sent me up to serve tea. My hands were shaking and some of it spilled. Begin said, ‘What’s gotten into you?’ And I had to admit, I was too in awe to pour the tea. It was a moment in history. Now, nothing bothers me.”