We visited a Ukrainian bakery that makes 700 pounds of #Passover matzo per day.
As Russian forces advance in Ukraine, Jews feel baking this sacred bread is more important than ever. 👇
As Russian forces advance in Ukraine, Jews feel baking this sacred bread is more important than ever. 👇
Matzo, when handmade, is called shmura. This unleavened bread is an integral element for Jews celebrating Passover.
When Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, Jews were jailed for making or even just eating matzo.
insider.com/ukraine-passov…
insider.com/ukraine-passov…
We visited Tiferes Hamatzos Bakery, located in Dnipro, Ukraine, which specializes in making matzo.
Just flour and water are required to make matzo, but making the dough is labor intensive.
This metal rod helps workers knead the dough faster. Then they roll it into long logs and flatten it out with rolling pins.
Ukraine normally exports about 70 tons of matzo each year. Tiferes Hamatzos Bakery’s owner Rabbi Meir Stambler said he had two containers full of matzo temporarily stuck at the ports in late February.
Ukraine supplies an estimated 20% of all handmade matzo to the US market, making it a $110 million industry.
Handmade matzo nearly disappeared after World War II when mass produced ones became more affordable.
Although shmura matzo could be up to six times more expensive than machine made matzo, Rabbi Stambler takes pride in making matzo the old fashioned way.
Whether it’s machine made or handmade, many Jews have dedicated their lives to preserving what they call the “bread of the poor.”
Watch the full video to see how matzo production in Ukraine is still going strong, despite Russia’s war on Ukraine here:
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