HANDS-ON MATZAH
FACTORY ALLOWS
GUESTS TO
MIX, ROLL AND
BAKE FOR PASSOVER.
SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN
Staff 10-ite
A
mong the 1,200 children
signed up to tour the Barbara
and Douglas Bloom Matzah
Factory this year are two of the
Blooms' grandchildren.
"Passover is Barb's and my favorite holi-
day," says Douglas Bloom of Bloomfield
Hills. "We enjoy it so much with our chil-
dren and grandchildren that when the
Jewish Center developed a list of possible
naming opportunities to help raise money
for improvements and enlargements, the
marzah factory jumped off the page at us."
Two years ago, the couple endowed the
program, which involves participants in
m tzah and learning about
baking matzah
Passover at the West Bloomfield JCC.
The endowment covers supplies for
baking and Jewish holiday crafts projects,
and assures that there is no charge to
those who attend.
Barbara Bloom hopes children who par-
ticipate will take with them an important
Jewish memory. "I feel if this is a child's first
experience celebrating something Jewish, it
might trigger something that continues
for them.
Those who attend the Matzah Factory
are able to create their own matzah. While
it bakes, children are offered craft materials
for projects, including tie-dying a matzah
cover or decorating a wooden kiddush cup.
"This is a nice experience for parents
who accompany their children," Barbara
Bloom says. "At the end of each session,
the children go to a seder table to hear an
explanation of the seder and ask questions
about celebrating Passover."
The matzah factory is also supported by
the Benard L. Maas Foundation and is
run by members of the Chabad/Lubavitch
Foundation.
"We want it to continue every year,"
Douglas Bloom says. "We want to benefit the
entire community for the children and grand-
children of those who are now attending.
"
Clockwise fr om top left:
Hailey Isaacs, 6, of Farmington
Hills colors in her artwork.
Danielle Sara Silverman, 2, of
West Bloomfield works on a project
at the Matzah Factory
Yudi Shmotkin, 16, of Milwaukee
puts matzah in the oven.
Hart Watnack, 5, of Farmington
Hills rolls out inatzlh dough with
Albert Yerman, 6, of Keego
Harbor, Howard Yerman and
Claire Yerman, 4.
Benzion Treitel, 17, of Montreal
helps Rachel Umanskiy, 6, of
Farmington Hills and Sarah
Levert, 5, of West Bloomfield grind
wheat to make matzah.
3/30
2001
22
Sixty-minute tours of the Barbara and
Douglas Bloom Matzoh Factory will
run Sunday, April 1, at 1:30, 2:30 and
3:30 p.m. at the West Bloomfield
ICC. No reservations are required and
there is no charge. For information,
call the ICC Jewish Life and Learning
Department, (248) 661-7649.