Making Matzoh

An extract from the book Amol in Rassein (Once Upon a Time in Rassein)

(C) 1976 - George M. D. Wolfe. Reproduced here with permission

"Several weeks before Passover the town's bakeries were ritually cleansed of all of their usual products and prepared for the task of baking matzohs for the Jewish residents. People living alone, and those who could not afford to have matzohs baked for them to order, met their needs by buying their matzohs in the bakery. Our family ordered flour from the mill or baker and contracted with a bakery for the baking of our matzohs. The bakery, owned by a man and his daughter, was located next door to our home and usually set aside the early morning hours for our order. Actually, there was very little for anyone of us to do while the baking was in progress, but my mother or Alte was usually present and I saw to it that I was included. Rising at four or five A.M., we would enter the bakery to find the bakery crew, employed especially for this purpose, working around several rectangular tables in the living room of the home bakery.

As the unleavened dough was mixed in the bakery proper it was brought in vats to the tables where the workers prepared the round matzohs for the oven which was probably operated on a 24 hour basis. Everyone worked very rapidly and soon the finished matzohs emerged from the oven and were taken to our home in batches, where they were stacked in large hamper kept in the roomy attic.

Although it was considered improper to eat matzohs before the start of the holiday, I managed to "taste" the freshly baked products and was especially fond of the egg matzohs, which were baked when the regular order was finished. Since the matzohs were normally consumed during the eight day holiday period, I used to hide a few in a torn section of the wallpaper over my bed, but this was soon discovered and I was reprimanded for my transgression. It was almost impossible to "hide" anything in the house or get away with any "secrets". Everyone was alert to what the children were up to and smoked out anything that seemed to be amiss. During one of my days in the store I took a deck of cards without permission, knowing full well that I would not be allowed to have playing cards. I put the cards in a locked locker box which I kept under my bed, only to have my father, when he was ill and at home, discover my secret and chide me for my act."

Navigation between the chapters:-  Use the side bar, or the links below

Cover     :     Early Memories of Rassein     :     Jewish Rassein      

Schooling    :    Making Matzoh    :   Whats in a name        

Household Chores    :    The Sabbath, Holidays and Holy Days  

Amusemenyt and Diversions   :   Trade and Commerce   :     Clothing