Passover

One Arab-Israeli man buys all the government’s chametz each year

The price tag for the leavened foods from state-owned companies, the prison service and Israel’s national emergency supply? $5,000.

By Julie Wiener April 2, 2015 5:06 pm

The Matzah Machine Controversy That Tore European Jewry Asunder

Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But progress is a touchy subject, particularly where Jewish law is involved. In 1857, the first matzah-baking machine was invented in Austria. The automated device kneaded and pressed the dough, and the result was a thin, perforated circle that was then placed in an oven. Over time, improvements sped up the process […]

from Jewniverse

A 19th-Century Joke Haggadah for Schoolteachers

A 19th-Century Parody Haggadah for Schoolteachers

Do your bosses and clients oppress you? Have you spent years getting an education only to enter a low-paying, low-status profession? If so, this haggadah is for you. Published in 19th-century Odessa, Sefer Hagadah La-Melamdim (The Schoolteachers’ Haggadah), is complete with the laws, liturgy, and commentaries of traditional haggadahs. But this parody playfully reconfigures the text […]

from Jewniverse