HOLIDAY

Staff photos by Angie Baan

Chanale Kaplan, 10, of Oak Park helps pour flour for Rabbi Amzalak.

Visiting Israeli school
principals Jackline
Namer and Nomi
Yair, both of Migdal
HaEmek, enjoy the
experience.

Dana, 3, Eli, 5, and Orit Rosen-Yazdi of West
Bloomfield listen to Rabbi Aaron Amzalak of
Chabad of North Oak Park explain the process.

Making Matzah

Families and educators enjoy
hands-on experience.

Max Perlmuter, 9, of
West Bloomfield adds
the water.

Lainey Morton, 5, of
West Bloomfield grabs
some dough.

he Matzah Factory at the Jewish Community Center in West Bloomfield just
celebrated its chai or 18th year of operation. About 1,800 school children vis-
ited last week, with plenty of parents and grandparents with children in tow
both Sundays.
On March 25, some "big kids" took part in the whole process of making shmurah
matzah — matzah that is watched or produced under the direct and continuous
observation of a mashgiach, a kosher supervisor. From the moment water is added to
the flour, the matzah must be produced in 18 minutes or less.
The "big kids" are Israeli school principals from Detroit's Partnership 2000 Region in
the Central Galilee, who were here through Wednesday participating in the School To
School program that matches them with educational directors at seven Detroit supple-
mental religious schools to share and learn from each other.
They dove right in to the matzah-baking process, rolling dough along with the local
families who came for the experience. They also enjoyed the Passover-related arts and
crafts activities provided by Shalom Street.
The Matzah Factory is organized and run by Federation's Alliance for Jewish
Education, Jewish Experiences for Families, Shalom Street and the JCC, through finan-
cial support from Barbara and Douglas Bloom of Bloomfield Hills. The Matzah Factory
operates under rabbinic supervision of Rabbi Aaron Amzalak of Bais Chabad of North
Oak Park.

- Keri Guten Cohen, story development editor

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March 29 2007