(Courtesy of AABJ&D) As most of us rush to get ready for Pesach, Pesach preparations have been underway at matzah bakeries around the world for months. With that in mind, last month, Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler of AABJ&D in West Orange and Rabbi Avrohom Stone of the West Orange Kollel led close to 30 men on a trip to the bake matzah in Lakewood.

Organized by the AABJ&D Men’s Club, the seeds for the event were planted over a year ago, when discussion came up at Rabbi Zwickler’s Thursday night learning chabura. Organizer and West Orange resident David Rosenwein ran with the idea and reached out to Rabbi Stone, who facilitated the special night with the Lakewood Matzah Bakery. Rabbi Stone prepared the group with a shiur on Hilchot Matzah and guidance on what to expect at the factory.

The West Orange group, filled with teens from Kushner, JEC and Frisch, along with men of all ages from the shul, journeyed down to the Lakewood Matzah Bakery, where they took part in the community-building matzah bake. After scrubbing their hands and donning dressing gowns and gloves, the group was given different responsibilities, including washing bowls, drying/checking bowls, pounding the dough, rolling the dough, using the riddler and, of course, delivering the matzahs to the large matzah oven.

The group baked over 100 pounds of matzah. As part of the initiative, some of the matzah was donated to those in need.

After a couple of hours of labor, the group headed to a local Lakewood restaurant for some chametz. Reflecting on the evening, while dining on burgers and fries, Rosenwein was thrilled at how the night turned out and said he hopes this becomes an annual West Orange excursion.

Asked to sum up the experience, Rabbi Zwickler said, “Baking matzah as a community was an incredible experience. The fact that we will be eating the matzahs that we baked together as a chabura at our Sedarim is truly taking the mitzvah of matzah and the concept of community to the next level.”