Passover Matzah Making and Biblical Lessons

The Tzivos Hashem Traveling Model Matzah Bakery, now independently run by Michael Albakurk. has reach hundreds of children nation wide. the show has traveled far down south to Greenvile, SC and Columbia, SC to perform shows for the shluchim there. here is an article written by the local paper in Columbia, SC about the wonderful show and the work of chabad. it is a true kiddush hashem.

Henoch Junik was up to his wrists in flour and water Wednesday, mixing up a batch of matzah for Passover, when he asked children at the Columbia Jewish Day School to cheer him on.

“How many minutes do we have to make matzah?” he asked.

“Eighteen!” they shouted.

And then came the energetic and rapidly escalating chant of “Mix! Mix! Mix! Mix! Mix! MIX! MIX!”

Earlier in the morning, Junik and his younger brother Shlomo had transformed the social hall of Beth Shalom Synagogue into the Model Matzah Bakery, a moveable project that takes youngsters through the steps of making matzah, from the threshing of wheat to the pounding of the dough.

For Jews, unleavened bread is a central food of the Passover holiday, which begins at sundown Saturday. It serves as a reminder of the exodus of the ancient Jews out of slavery in Egypt, their flight so hurried that their bread did not have time to rise.

There was a creative mix of entertainment and education in the telling of the Passover story, with Rabbi Meir Muller, the school’s director, taking a turn at playing the Egyptian pharaoh who steadfastly refused to let the Jewish people go.

God rained down plagues upon Egypt, including blood in the water and frogs, Junik said as he recounted the Old Testament story. But it wasn’t until the 10th plague, the killing of the Egyptians’ first-born sons, that the pharaoh relented. The Jews, who had been told by Moses to kill a lamb and mark their doors with its blood, were “passed over” by God and their first-borns spared.

The lively hands-on demonstration was staged three times during the day, for pre-school children in the morning, and the day school’s elementary-age classes in the afternoon. Later in the day, students in Beth Shalom’s Religious School and in the community attended.

“I like making it,” declared Claire Nelson, a 7-year-old second-grader. She and classmates Maya Ortiz and Lakin Mensing said they had never made it before but decided they would be enthusiastic matzah-makers in the future.

Amid the fun of being divided into Team Matzah and Team Pesach (the Hebrew word for Passover), there were abiding lessons about history and Jewish culture that are so important for children as they relate to Judaism, said Muller.

“We wanted children to understand that matzah doesn’t just come from the grocery store,” he said.

Sheindal Muller, who teaches Judaism at the Jewish Day School, said each of the elementary school students has studied the ancient Jewish texts intensely.

“Every one of these kids can run their own Passover Seder,” she said.

The Junik brothers, who are Orthodox Jews, drove from New York to Greenville on Monday. They staged one workshop in the Upstate, then headed to Columbia for their appearances at the Jewish Day School.

The Model Matzah Bakery is a program of Tzivos Hashem, the Brooklyn-based international Chabad Jewish children’s organization. The Jewish Federation of Columbia underwrote a portion of the cost to bring it here.

Hanech Junik, who is studying to be a paramedic, said he takes time out of his schedule because he loves to conduct the workshops around the country.

“It’s something in my heart. You have to love the kids, the smiles. It’s beautiful.”