This year I was fortunate enough to be one of the 6,000 Brits that spent Passover in Israel. Along with my family, I arrived at Ben Gurion Airport tired and excited the day before the seder, ready to experience the highs and lows of celebrating a familiar holiday in a not-so-familiar country. My family just bought a small apartment in the seaside town of Netanya, north of Tel Aviv, so that's where I was based for my holiday.

For anyone who has had Passover at home, you know it can be a pretty stressful time. Everyone in your family rushes around in the days before the holiday cooking, cleaning and stocking up on Passover groceries. Now imagine that stress, the raised blood pressure, the frantic hunt for ingredients for Passover baking and imagine a whole country of six million people experiencing that at the same time. Well that is what it is like on the day before Passover in Israel. It's hectic.

It is exciting to be part of the chaos, and as I was frantically searching for kosher for Passover ground almonds for my grandma in a supermarket, I realised I was part of something special. Once again we are a nation of Israeli, Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Ethiopian, Indian, Russian and French Jews all stockpiling our cupboards in preparation for Passover at the same time. Once again, since our ancestors packed up their matzah to leave Egypt, are we all together celebrating the event in Israel.

And celebrate we did. Passover is a national holiday in Israel. Kids are on school break, adults get time off work and the shopping malls and museums fill up during chol hamoed (the middle four days of Passover, called “weekdays of the festival”). Restaurants become kosher for Passover so there is a never a shortage in finding a place for pizza or matzah brei. Many Israelis go on tiyulim, or hikes with their families and some make the journey to Jerusalem to say special prayers at the Kotel (Western Wall).

My family visited the Kotel together for the first time on one of these days. The Old City was heaving with tourists and visitors. Adding to the thousands of Jews who were there for Passover prayers were the many hundreds of Christians, visiting in large groups to celebrate Easter in the Holy Land. Jerusalem sparkled in the springtime sun and being with my friends and my family really was very special. If you've ever had the chance to go to Jerusalem, you will know that standing and overlooking the Wall can be overpowering. I am amazed every time I go at just how lucky we are to have the freedom to travel there.

With freedom being the main theme of Passover, it would be unfair to neglect to mention the other freedoms Israelis have. A relatively small number of Israelis are observant Jews, and although a surprising number of people only eat matzah during the seven day festival, of course no one is forced to. Speaking to some secular Israelis on a sherut (a shared taxi) one night on my way back from Tel Aviv, they told me that they have to stock up on chametz (bread items) before the festival, because it is so difficult to find such items when so many places become kosher for Passover.

Israel can be a bit of an angry country at the best of times: crazy drivers, no common practice of manners or queuing (waiting in line), non-existent customer service (which you Americans do so well!). But during Passover, that madness is only intensified. It's actually a wonderful thing to take part in, even just for two weeks.

I had a great break and now that I am back I can't wait to get back on the plane to a place where I really feel I belong. As it says at the end of the seder: Leshana habah b'Yerushalayim (Next year in Jerusalem)!

Josh wishes he could have a free ticket to travel the world; though admits he would miss life in London because it is the best place in the world, after Israel, of course.