New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-04-20
THE PASSOVER BREAD.
HOW THE JEWS KEEP THEIR ANCIENT
FEAST BY EATING .'MATZOTHS."

The Jewish Passover will begin tomorrow. and
for one week from that date the people who ad-
here 10 the ancient customs Of the Jews will eat
mn leavened bread and viii abstain from many
articles OF food which at other times of the year
are looked upon necessary. Among the reformed
Jews the season is OF Importance only in SO far
mat they have religious services at their houses
~ uorship on the first and last days Of the week
and have the unleavened bread their table at
meal times, reminder Of the ancient
tom than as a part Of the meal
But among the orthodox Jews great preparations
are made for the proper celebration Of the feast.
The habitations. matter whether they large
or small, a dark apartment in a double decker
tenement house pretentious private house,
thoroughly cleansed, and every kitchen utensil
which is used in the OF the year is put away
10 make for the Pasach kitchen ware An
orthodox Jewish household must be extremely poor
where there not special kitchen utensils and
tableware for the Passover.
On the first evening of the feast the members
of the family gather about the table which is laid
as deliberately the householders purse will allow.
snd then the story OF the Passover is read by the
head OF the family, and the origin Of the feast Is
EXPLAINED the children. who take part in the
or,atnt ceremony by responses and songs No mat
Ter how poor the family may be, there is always a
vacant chair the table when this ceremony.
known as the Seder, takes place, TO typify hospi-
tally. This is the chief religious ceremony Of the
week and is observed to some extent even among
the reformed Jews who have modernized the ceTe-
instead Of using the original Hebrew
The amount OF unleavened bread consumed In the
course Of the week following the Seder may be esti-
mated from the fact that about thirty thousand
barrels OF -four used TO furnish the supply for
this city. Several bakeries make the unleavened
bread called rnatzoths. all the year. Some of the
product is sold out Of but the greater part
Is delivered within few weeks Of the Passover.
Besides these large concerns there are many small
baking establishments on the East Side where work
Is carried on for two three months in anticipa-
ton Of the Passover rush The product Of the
small East Side concerns goes for the most part
10 the ultra orthodox Jews. for whom the regular
factory made matzoths too modern.
This bread which resembles large crackers is
made entirely from -four and water In the large
concerns the mass is mixed and kneaded by ma
chinery, but in the smaller establishments this
work IS done by hand. The dough is passed be-
tween metal rollers and then cut into square OF
round pieces. a venerable man who stood watch
ing the men at work in one of the basement
bakeries in Clinton-st- explained why only square
rnatzoths were made there. He said:
According to the Mosaic law the matzoths must
is mixed. This be done very easily when an
have to gather up the pieces that fall between the
disks ro them out and cut then ii up more ea 1e
That's the reason we have our passover preau
square.
Nearly all the bakeries employ some machinery
This is even Of those where brand made
rnatzoths are baked. The machinery in these con-
eists Of stamping presses which the unleaVened
dough is cut the pieces which are afterwaro
baked There are a few places where even these
mechanical appliances are dispensed with ana the
product is strictly handmade and as nearly IKE
the original Passover bread as IL can be produced
one Of these places is In Ridge-st. 1t is pre-
sided over by a long bearded rabbi. whose duty II
is 10 see that place is kept perfectly clean ana
that everything connected with the nlahuIactGIe
OF the bread is conduced the lines laid down
: by the Mosaic law. When the dough is taken from
the trough In which it has been mixed II is turned
over to men who knead it by means OF a wooden
bar hinged to the ineading board Ihen me mass
is cur into small pieces and passed over to women
who knead it again and cut it into small bits.
which are rolled out into pieces that are nearly
circular but the ragged edges show that the pieces