The Great Bay Area Matzoh Shortage of 5768 (2008): An Essential Staple of Passover Observance is in Short Supply

The Jewish observance of Passover commemorates the story of the escape from slavery in ancient Egypt of the Jewish people as told in Exodus, the second book of what is commonly referred to as the Old Testament - the Jewish Bible. Without telling the story here, suffice it to say that the eating of unleavened bread, Matzoh, has become a core element of the ritual meal, the Seder, celebrated by Jews who symbolically recreate and tell the story during the meal. This year, here in the San Francisco Bay Area, Matzoh is hard and sometimes impossible to find.

The Matzoh is a key element in not only the ritual Seder meal, but is necessary in observant Jewish households for the entire ten days of Passover, because the consumption of leavened products (Chumas) is prohibited. This 'ritual rule' arose from the command to recall the years spent in the desert running from the angry troops of the Egyptian Pharaoh. As told in Exodus, with the Egyptian army close on their heals, the Jews, led by Moses, needed to eat but could not stop long enough to allow their bread, once mixed and kneaded, to rise. So, they baked it right away. The result was the Matzoh - the bread in its unleavened but baked condition.

Enough of history and on to the current crisis, made more compelling because it may well be only the first year of a long-term Matzoh drought!

Ordinarily, Matzoh is easy to find in any supermarket, 'big box' store or local 'Mom and Pop" grocery store or neighborhood Bodega leading up to Passover. This year, as the ten day observance begins, it has become nearly impossible to find.

As with many other things, the answer does not turn out to be simple or singular.