The Model Matzah Bakery is an exciting, educational and fun experience for the entire family in which participants are able to experience the story and art of Matzah Baking. It features wheat stalks, brick ovens, millstones, etc. which are all setup to form an old style Matzah Bakery. Dressed in baker’s hats, participants will help with the entire process of Matzah making which will include winnowing, threshing, grinding, kneading dough and making their own Matzah.

Participants will have the unique opportunity of a hands on educational experience that has added holiday spirit, fun and education for all who have attended.

The Model Matzah Bakery will be held on Sunday, April 10th,  at day camp grounds Vista Ridge Academy, 3100 Ridge View Drive
Erie, CO 80516

The program will run from 2:00 pm to 4:00pm.

Free of cost

Advance reservation is recommended.

To reserve your spot or to find out more information please call 303-678-7595 or email OpenHouse@JewishKidsCamp.com

To visit the camp website go to www.JewishKidsCamp.com

Now, 2011: The Passover experience is characterized by eight days of eating crackers, potato chips, and coke made with cane sugar instead of corn syrup. We commemorate our history through a seder – literally translated as order, a seder is a meal that systematically and symbolically takes us through the exodus from Egypt – with bitter herbs and salt water, as well as four cups of wine. Some spend days and weeks cooking, cleaning, preparing, doing their best to get rid of the last piece of bread in their house before the first seder night. If Passover is not the most exhausting Jewish holiday, it’s pretty close to it!

We’ll be preparing for Passover this week and next in the aisles of Boulder’s King Soopers stores; so, if you need a breath of fresh air, to buy a few boxes of that prized matzah, or feel like sampling some macaroons, stop by King Soopers for “Passover in the Matzah Aisle” and say hi. Passover in the Matzah Aisle is a program developed by the Jewish Outreach Institute; this is the first year we’re running the program through the Boulder Jewish Community Center.

The event will take place on Sundays, April 10 and 17 from 1-5pm, and on Thursday, April 14 from 3-7pm. There will be a variety of Passover foods to sample including matzah, macaroons, and gefilte fish; as well as an activity for kids, drawings, trivia, and tried-and-true recipe cards that you can take home with you. We will also have information on our seder match up program, through which we are helping people who want a seder find the right one for them.

If Passover in the Matzah Aisle sounds like your thing and you’d like to volunteer, contact us and we can fit you in. Otherwise, we’d love to see you at King Soopers on 30th and Arapahoe or Broadway and Table Mesa.

For more information contact Jodi Fried at 303-998-5626 or connect@boulderjcc.org.

Passover is celebrated in many Jewish homes by having a Seder. Seder means order, and we read the Passover story in a special order from the book called a Haggadah. Haggadah means “to tell” and we tell the story of our ancestors, and remind ourselves that we are now a free people.

One of the underlying themes of Passover is order. This order comes natural to us as spring is in the air and we prepare to do our Spring Cleaning. As we clean our garage, our shed and the back of the crawl space in the basement, we should also consider cleaning up our insides as well. Think about what you are eating that is not doing your body any good and get rid of it. You will feel clean and clear for spring. As I mentioned last week, this may take a bit of effort, but it will be worth it.

There are different parts of the Seder. During the Seder, we eat traditional and symbolic foods that remind us of the Jewish people and their adversity. One of the things that we do is to dip a spring vegetable into salt water. The vegetable is a sign of spring, or rebirth, and the salt water represent the tears of the slaves. We eat bitter herbs, to remind us of the bitterness of slavery. We eat a special mixture, called Charoset, which is made of apples, nuts, wine, and cinnamon that reminds us of the mortar from which the slaves made their bricks. We also eat Matzah. Matzah is unleavened bread, made simply from flour and water and cooked very quickly. The Matzah reminds us of when the Jews were fleeing from Pharaoh and they had to gather their belongings quickly and did not have time for their bread to rise. However, as the Jews were fleeing, Pharaoh changed his mind, and sent his army after the people to bring them back. G-d parted the Red Sea for the Jews to cross, and as soon as they were safely to the other side, the waters closed on the soldiers, drowning them all. The Jewish people were saved.

Again, the symbolism from slavery to freedom is uncanny in our journey through a gluten-free lifestyle. We were slaves to bread, to pain, to medicating and now we are free. Unfortunately, a diet of Matzah, which is made of wheat flour and water that has been cooked in under 18 minutes under the observation of a Rabbi, is not something that we can do at any cost.  To purchase gluten-free Oat Matzah, it will run you about $25 per box (here’s a link). So, I decided to make my own. And although the gluten-free Oat Matzah that I make is not ‘kosher for Passover,’ I feel that it is the best we can do without having to buy it (it’s hard to find Kosher for Passover oat flour, but potato starch and Kosher for Passover almond flour are both available). Make it in less than 18 minutes! This recipe is adopted from About.com gluten-free cooking.

Gluten Free Oat Flour Matzah

Ingredients:
2/3 cup finely ground, certified gluten free oat bran
2/3 cup potato starch
2 T almond flour
¾ t salt
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place ½ of your oat bran in a coffee grinder and pulverize to a powder, repeat with other half.
In a large bowl whisk to combined oat bran, potato starch, almond meal and salt. Transfer to standing mixer.
Add olive oil and add water and beat for 1 minute.
Use a spatula to scrape the dough onto a cutting board sprinkled lined with an 8 inch piece of parchment paper. Knead dough to form a ball. Divide dough into 5 equal portions.
Place a dough ball in the center of the parchment paper on a cutting board and form into a disc.
Use a rolling pin to roll the dough in a circle of about 6 inches in diameter.
Use a fork or meat tenderizer to prick holes in the dough and sprinkle with more oat bran.
Cut excess parchment paper from around the dough and carefully lift the dough with the bottom sheet onto cake pan.
Bake for 8 minutes. Matzah will be lightly browned on the edges and crispy.
Repeat with each dough portion.

In their American category, the Passover dish will be Wisconsin Matz & Cheese:  a bowl of Matzah farfel covered with their signature Wisconsin cheddar cheese sauce. For those looking for a fleischig meal, Noodles is offering a Chicken Matzah Ball Soup with a Tzar Salad — like a Caesar, but with crumbled Matzah instead of croutons (make sure to ask for the salad without the parmesan).

Noodle’s Asian menu, with its rice noodles, is already fine for Sephardim, but for the Ashkenazi community, Noodles will be offering Matz Thai, which is their Pad Thai dish prepared with Matzah farfel in place of the rice noodles.  Similarly, Ashkenazi will be able to order the Thai Curry Soup with Matzah balls in place of rice noodles.

Finally, the Mediterranean menu will feature Kugel Fresca, which features pesadik egg noodles with ricotta cheese, balsamic, olive oil, white Manishewitz wine and roasted garlic, red onion, tomato and spinach.

Let all who are hungry come and eat! Next year Noodles in Jerusalem!

1) Would you like to join us at our Seder? Do you know anyone who will NOT be going to a seder? If yes, please send them to one of ours, all are welcome and no one is turned away for lack of funds!  RSVP here. Here is a link to our menu.

2) Did you see our Model Matzoh bakery? If not, come with your kids on Wednesday, March 17 at 7 pm.  Here is more information (and here are photos from Sunday).

3) Would you like to purchase Shmurah Matzoh? Email us right away lbkosher@gmail.com to reserve your own, the cost is $19.50 for a pound of Matzoh (6-7 matzos).

4) Did you SELL your Chametz? Don’t forget to sell your chametz for Passover. Here is a link to the form. Mail it to me or drop it off.

Wishing you a wonderful Passover!

Rabbi Pesach Scheiner

PS Do you want to LEARN MORE about Passover’s deeper dimensions? Click here for online resources: www.chabadofboulder.com/Passover.

If you missed the fun on Sunday, there’s another opportunity on Wednesday, March 17 at 7 pm, and there are 2 slots open during the week for private groups. Contact lubavbldr@cs.com for more info.  At the Jewish Enrichment Center, 4740 Table Mesa Drive Suite B, Boulder.

The Model Matzah Bakery held two years ago was extremely popular and drew some six hundred participants and this year’s event promises to be an even greater Passover holiday experience for children, families and schools. Participants will have the unique opportunity of hands on educational experience that has added holiday spirit, fun and education for all who have attended.

This year’s Model Matzah Bakery will be held at the Jewish Enrichment Center, 4740 Table Mesa Drive Suite B, Boulder, CO. The program will be offered on Sunday, March 14 at 3:30 and 5:30 PM. There are also group slots available the week of March 14th (Sunday through Wednesday). There is also possibilities to join groups from Sunday-Wednesday. Due to a sponsor, we are offering the discounted rate of $6.00 with pre- registration, and $7.50 at the door. Click here for more Matzah Bakery photos from the last Model Matzah Bakery!

To reserve your spot or to find out more information please call 303 494 1638 or email lbkosher@gmail.com. You may also check www.chabadofboulder.com for information on this or any of our other programs. Sponsored in part by Lubavitch of Boulder County and the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado.

One of the underlying themes of Passover is order. This order comes natural to us as spring is in the air and we prepare to do our Spring Cleaning. As we clean our garage, our shed and the back of the crawl space in the basement, we should also consider cleaning up our insides as well. Think about what you are eating that is not doing your body any good and get rid of it. You will feel clean and clear for spring. As I mentioned last week, this may take a bit of effort, but it will be worth it.

There are different parts of the Seder. During the Seder, we eat traditional and symbolic foods that remind us of the Jewish people and their adversity. One of the things that we do is to dip a spring vegetable into salt water. The vegetable is a sign of spring, or rebirth, and the salt water represent the tears of the slaves. We eat bitter herbs, to remind us of the bitterness of slavery. We eat a special mixture, called Charoset, which is made of apples, nuts, wine, and cinnamon that reminds us of the mortar from which the slaves made their bricks. We also eat Matzah. Matzah is unleavened bread, made simply from flour and water and cooked very quickly. The Matzah reminds us of when the Jews were fleeing from Pharaoh and they had to gather their belongings quickly and did not have time for their bread to rise. However, as the Jews were fleeing, Pharaoh changed his mind, and sent his army after the people to bring them back. G-d parted the Red Sea for the Jews to cross, and as soon as they were safely to the other side, the waters closed on the soldiers, drowning them all. The Jewish people were saved.

Again, the symbolism from slavery to freedom is uncanny in our journey through a gluten free lifestyle. We were slaves to bread, to pain, to medicating and now we are free. Unfortunately, a diet of Matzah, which is made of wheat flour and water that has been cooked in under 18 minutes under the observation of a Rabbi, is not something that we can do at any cost.  To purchase gluten free Oat Matzah, it will run you about $25 per box (here’s a link). So, I decided to make my own. And although the gluten free Oat Matzah that I make is not ‘kosher for Passover,’ I feel that it is the best we can do without having to buy it (it’s hard to find Kosher for Passover oat flour, but potato starch and Kosher for Passover almond flour are both available). Make it in less than 18 minutes! This recipe is adopted from About.com gluten-free cooking.

Gluten Free Oat Flour Matzah

Ingredients:
2/3 cup finely ground, certified gluten free oat bran
2/3 cup potato starch
2 T almond flour
¾ t salt
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place ½ of your oat bran in a coffee grinder and pulverize to a powder, repeat with other half.
In a large bowl whisk to combined oat bran, potato starch, almond meal and salt. Transfer to standing mixer.
Add olive oil and add water and beat for 1 minute.
Use a spatula to scrape the dough onto a cutting board sprinkled lined with an 8 inch piece of parchment paper. Knead dough to form a ball. Divide dough into 5 equal portions.
Place a dough ball in the center of the parchment paper on a cutting board and form into a disc.
Use a rolling pin to roll the dough in a circle of about 6 inches in diameter.
Use a fork or meat tenderizer to prick holes in the dough and sprinkle with more oat bran.
Cut excess parchment paper from around the dough and carefully lift the dough with the bottom sheet onto cake pan.
Bake for 8 minutes. Matzah will be lightly browned on the edges and crispy.
Repeat with each dough portion.