Matzah bakery teaches meaning of Passover

Jewish parents wanting to teach their children about Passover - or wanting to understand more about the religious holiday themselves - might want to drop by the fourth annual Model Matzah Bakery at Chabad Jewish Center in Naperville from 3 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 29.

"It's geared to children, but everyone is invited to come," Rabbi Mendy Goldstein said.

Participants will learn to bake matzah from start to finish - from grinding the wheat to baking the unleavened bread. The ground grain isn't actually the flour used in making the matzah, but it's still an important part of the process, Goldstein said.

"We show them where flour comes from," he said.

Participants also will hear the story of why unleavened bread is served at Passover, the holiday that celebrates the exodus of the Hebrews or ancient Jews from Egypt. When the Egyptian Pharoah finally drove the former slaves from Egypt, they did not have time to put yeast in their bread dough and let it rise - hence the matzah or unleavened bread that commemorates that journey.

"They'll walk away knowing what the matzah is all about," Goldstein said. "We like to teach people about the holiday in a creative and fun way."

The Model Matzah Bakery imitates genuine matzah bakeries that are found only in select communities around the world. Visitors knead and roll the dough on long work tables, and bake it in a conventional oven covered with a brick facade to give it the appearance of the brick ovens used in real matzah bakeries.

The cost for the event is $8, and free for accompanying adults.

Area Jewish residents also are invited to Chabad Jewish Center's public Passover Seder at 7 p.m. April 8, Goldstein said. The traditional Passover meal includes handmade matzah, four cups of wine and kosher dinner. The cost is $36 per adult and $18 per child.