It’s History in the Baking

Jewish Children’s Museum matzo workshop teaches schoolkids a tasty Passover tradition

Brooklyn, NY — It’s flat and interactive.

No, it’s not the new iPhone. It’s iMatzo.

The Jewish Children’s Museum has launched an interactive matzo-making workshop for kids in preparation for Passover.

During a recent class, kids learned how to make their own matzo, or unleavened bread baked in the traditional Jewish manner, and got to take a piece of history – that is, matzo – home with them.

“What I love about this program is that it gives kids a chance to find out [history] on their own,” said Zevi Steinhauser of the Jewish Children’s Museum.

“It’s the epitome of what we stand for: to teach kids from all backgrounds about Jewish traditions and culture in memorable ways – hands-on, interactive and fun.”

Matzo is eaten during Passover to commemorate how the Jews escaping slavery in Egypt did not have time to wait for their bread to rise.

At the event, children picked stalks of wheat, ground it in a mill and then combined the flour with water to make the dough. They rolled the dough into their own little matzo, making sure to cut holes in the top so it doesn’t rise.

Matzo is baked in an oven for only a few minutes. According to Jewish law, the entire matzo-making process can take no more that 18 minutes, or else the bread will start to rise.

“I heard about matzo, but I never realized that you have to make it so fast,” said Ashley Kemmer, 11, of Park Slope. “I got mine done in 10 minutes.”

Yisroel Baumgarten, 22, puts the matzo dough into the oven, from which it will emerge as a Passover-appropriate treat.

Nine-year-old Karossa Rock beams as she helps mix the ingredients that, in 18 minutes or less, will become the world’s most famous flatbread.