More than 2,000 children across Long Island baked matzah with The Matzah Bakery run by Lake Success Chabad.
Directed by Rabbi Dovid and Chumy Ezagui, Lake Success Chabad visited many local schools and synagogues to show the students how matzah is made. The use of wheat stalks, millstones and brick ovens all added to the authentic matzah bakery atmosphere.
The children got right into the Pesach (Passover) spirit and went into the “field” to pick their very own wheat stalks. They rolled, mashed and crushed the wheat stalks to separate the kernels from the shaf. The kernels were placed into special stone grinders and each child had a turn to grind the kernels and sift the flour.
The children then left the “field” and entered the Matzah Bakery. The rooms were covered with genuine-looking walls that surrounded the special matzah oven. Students ooohed and aaahed over the display of the water wells and mixing booths.
Each child received a special matzah hat. The children then mixed the flour that they had sifted with water to make their very own matzah dough. The children used rolling pins to roll out flat matzahs and then, with the help of the matzah Rabbi, they placed all the matzah dough into the oven.
Pride and joy were displayed on the children’s faces as they watched the matzah they made from scratch come out of the oven. Crunching and munching on their very own hot crispy matzah, the children left the workshop satisfied with not only the delicious taste of the matzah but the knowledge of what is behind it all.
In addition to the matzah workshop, lots of other hands-on classes are available to schools and synagogues. For a full list of workshops or for more info, visit www.myjle.com and www.myjle.org or contact Lake Success Chabad at 516-487-3343.
