7,000 Montreal Children Experience Pesach Hands-On

Over 7,000 children from the Montreal area experienced Passover this year, thanks to two programs organized by the Living Legacy.

The Model Matzah Bakery, located in the YM-YWHA, was open to groups of children ranging from ages 3-10 in schools and CPEs from Jewish schools representing every Jewish community and affiliation in Montreal.

At the Model Matzah Bakery, children were explained the method for making the Matzah as well as the reasons behind it. While a large clock ticked down the 18-minute cycle (ensuring that the dough wouldn’t rise), children mixed flour and water, rolled the dough flat, and poked holes in the dough. The children then put their dough into a powerful oven, and received the Matzah they’d made at the end of the program.

The second half of the program was an explanation of where the ingredients for the Matzah are from. The flour must be carefully extracted from the wheat, while making sure no Chametz is found near the fields. Children removed the kernels from the wheat, ground the flour in millstones, and cleared away the dirt, giving them pure whole wheat flour. They also pulled water out of a “well,” demonstrating the need for the water used in Matzah to come from a pure water source that isn’t sitting stagnant.

Finally, a puppet show was performed, giving over the entire story of Pesach, from the beginning of the slavery, through the 10 plagues, until the exodus. As the Jewish nation left Egypt they had no time to let the dough rise, and threw it over their shoulders. The heat of the sun created the first Matzahs. To commemorate our freedom from Egypt, we eat Matzah just as our ancestors had done. The children were encouraged to share the story at their family Seder, and many of them promised to do just that.

On the other side of the Trans Canada highway, where Marcel Laurin meets Decarie Circle, the Living Legacy held their walkthrough Passover experience, “Exodus.”

Here, children (ages 8-15) were taken back in time by a nutty professor, arriving in ancient Egypt. The walkthrough featured live actors who played out an abbreviated version of the story of the Exodus from Egypt.

The children first met two Jewish slaves suffering under their backbreaking labour. Then, the children met Moses (Moshe), and watched him interact with G-d through the burning bush. Moses led the children into Pharaoh’s palace, where they witnessed the 10 plagues. Then, they traveled through the Jewish area of Egypt where they saw the hasty preparations to leave, and they exited Egypt led my Moses.

When Pharaoh and his guards gave chase, the children fled forward, coming to a stop in front of the red sea, where actual water dripped and blocked their path. G-d commanded Moses to raise his staff, and the water split, allowing the children to walk through safely. On the other side of the sea, Mount Sinai awaited. The children watched as Moses received the 10 commandments, accepting the children as guarantors that the Jewish nation would keep the Torah’s laws.

At the end, a discussion was held about Passover, and the importance of keeping the ancient traditions. Children also met some of the live animals used in the walkthrough, and were able to pet and feed the goats and sheep.

In the past, children were told the story of our exodus from Egypt, or read it from a book. Experiencing the story and making their own Matzah brings a new dimension to Passover, and the story resonated with the children, leaving an impressionable impact.

“Having two locations this year has enabled us to reach double the amount of children,” said Pinny Gniwisch, director of the Living Legacy. “Seeing the children experience Passover in a hands on fashion is priceless.”

For some families, their Seder was enhanced by the children sharing the story of the Exodus or the Matzah factory. For other families whose only connection to Judaism is the Synagogue on Yom Kippur and the Seder on Passover, the Living Legacy was able to add some meaning to the traditions revolving around the Seder.

Next year in Jerusalem.

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