Appropriate gift for Passover visit? Any guidance much appreciated!

[WorkingItOutAsIGo]

I'd be grateful for any advice - my DS is going to stay with his girlfriend's family in Israel for Passover. We're not Jewish! Her family has been so welcoming to him despite that and so I'm keen to make sure he behaves considerately and appropriately while he is visiting them.

So I would like to send him with a suitable gift for the family or contribution to the festivities but having googled Passover have not really got any ideas and in fact have no idea whether there are some things that would be appreciated or alternative completely wrong. I have a sense it's a bit like a Christian Lent period when you perhaps avoid luxuries. Thanks for any help!

Pesach isn't a big present giving time. A book or piece of china and a big bunch of flowers would be nice - I'd avoid food, though, as even not very religious Israelis may keep some of the pesach rules.

Were do you live? if there is Jewish shops or a big tesco nearby then they will all be stocking up on kosher for passover food over the next few weeks. Try the kosher aisle in tesco and buy a nice bottle of wine or some chocolates just check it says on it kosher for passover!

Just re-reading your post I don't know much about lent but I'm pretty sure it's not like it. Jews do have a lot of restrictions on what they can eat on pessach but it's definately not avoiding luxuries we have big festive meals! The restrictions are more specific and based on Jewish history to do with when the Jews left eygpt and they didn't have time for their bread to rise so we don't eat any levened bread...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passover#Removing_all_chametz read this page from 'removing all the chametz' about a third of the way down the page

Don't take food. It will be impossible to get it right as it varies so much between families, regions, all sorts. Rather than a gift for Passover take a gift to say thanks for having him - you don't say if they are particularly religious or not?

nothing like Lent, really. There are dozens of rules relating to the removal of anything to do with risen bread. My grandmother's main complaint was always that she couldn't have whisky!

trouble is that if they are strict they can't have anything non-passover in the house that week, so you can't send something to keep for later.

best bet is to ask the girlfriend - but if you avoid anything edible in the gift you'll be fine.

Thank you all so much. Sounds like something like a nice picture frame is the safest idea - I want to make sure he is respectful and grateful and you've helped me avoid some faux pas!