The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-04-22
PASSOVER BEGINS
AT SUNSET TONIGHT
Jewish Easter Calls for Unleayened Diet
How Unleavened Bread Is
Secured

NEW YORK, April 22.-The setting of
the sun this evening ushers in one of the
most strictly observed of all Jewish holi-
DAYS. known as Pesach, and commonly
called the Passover. or Jewish Easter. 1t
is the spring festival of the Jewish peo-
pie, and in ancient times was the first of
the three great pilgrim feasts, when the
people of Israel gathered from the remot-
est sections of the Holy Land and went up
to Jerusalem to offer their thank offering
at the temple.
The festival begins on the 14th day of
the month of Nissan, the first month of
the secular year of the Hebrews, and was
EoFdained TO commemorate the redemptlon
of the children of Israel from their bond
age in the land of Egypt, where they had
been held as slaves for more than 400
years.
The festival is observed throughout the
world by orthodox and reformed alike by
the change in the daily diet Everything
leavened is removed, and only unleavened
food is consumed. The holiday is OBJ
served during one entire week, and during
that time 'Matzos" take the place of
bread, and all pastry is made from matzos
and potato flour.
Securing Special Flour.
Many thousands of barrels of -four are
used in New York alone making "matzOs'
to be eaten during the Passover holidays.
1t is considered of the utmost Importance
IudI gram lHJeIueu IOT CefeUOuIdJ uSe
be kept from rain or moisture from the
time the wheat stalks are severed in the
harvest field until the ''matzos' touches
the lips of the consumer, with the excep-
ton of what is absolutely essential to the
mixing of the dough- Consequently the
wheat is grown under contract between
the bakers and the farmers; and is har-
vested, threshed, stored, shipped and man
lufactured into -four under the direct super
vision of the rabbi or his representative.
The flour is manufactured in a modern
roller process flour mill, and is similarly
guarded until safely stored in orthodox
bakeries; and when the time for baking
arrives, the rabbi or his delegate watches
the mixing of the dough, the emergence of
the 'matzos" from the ovens. and their
packing and sealing in properly prepared
boxes.
The flour and water are mixed by ma
chinery; the dough is rolled mechanically
into thin sheets, cut by means of dies into
eight-inch squares or 12-inch discs, and
placed upon moving wire drum, which
passes through a very hot oven. In about
two minutes they are dropped from the
drum at the other end of the oven. baked
ready for packing in boxes.
Social Functions Cease.
During Passover week all the syna-
gogueS will be open the first two and the
last two days of the week, and the re-
formed temples viii only observe the first
and last days. All social functions cease
during the observance of the holiday and
no affairs of a social nature will be OBJ
served until the celebration of PentecOst,
with but one exception, that day being
the Seth of Omer. which comes three
weeks after the holiday.
Family reunions are among the pleas
ant features of the holiday. and members
who may be absent from home during the
| entire year appear at the family fireside
during the celebration. The poor are also
given special attention, and every family
which is unable to obtain the necessary
| food is furnished with enough for their
wants by some one of the many eharit-
able organizations.