World's Largest Matzah
World's Largest MatzahIsrael news photo: Meir Panim

The largest matzah in the world – three meters high – was put on display in Jerusalem today, the culmination of a month-long project that found Seder-hosting for 4,000 people around the country.

The largest hand-matzah in the world – 3 meters high, 3.2 meters wide – was presented today by the Jerusalem Municipality to the Meir Panim charity organization. Its unveiling at a formal City Hall ceremony was the culmination of a month-long project involving hundreds of volunteers and social workers in which Seder meals were found for close to 4,000 people.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat presented the giant matzah to Meir Panim in recognition of what he called the organization’s “dedicated work throughout the year on behalf of the needy and those with lesser means, while maintaining their self-respect at the same time.”

The matzah was supposed to have been transported straight from the ceremony to be put on display in Sacher Park, and then distributed in pieces to various public Seders around the city – but most unfortunately, it did not stand up to the pressures of the trip, and went the way of most matzahs: It crumbled.

The giant matzah was baked at the Irenstein Matzah Bakery in Ashdod, and is Kosher for Passover. Forty people participated in the baking, including two rappellers who made the all-important matzah holes. It weighed 60 kilograms (132 lbs.), and was made of 50 kilos of flour (110 lbs.) and 22 liters (23.2 quarts) of water.  

The Seder-hosting project was run jointly by Ynet and Meir Panim, and was entitled Kulam B’seder (Everyone is OK, or, Everyone at a Seder). More than 3,600 families signed up online to host people at their Seders, and with the help of dedicated social workers matching up hosts and invitees, the organizers succeeded in finding Seder arrangements for close to 4,000 people.

Racheli of Meir Panim told Israel National News, “This was an amazingly moving and major undertaking. We’re not talking about public Seders and the like; we’re talking about private people all over the country who wished to open their homes. Of the 3,600 families that registered, we were able to find matches for about half. And of course there were many different demands that had to be matched up: Some wanted to sleep over, some wanted to be picked up, some wanted to be in a Sephardic-Moroccan home, some wanted Sephardic-Tunisian, etc. Of course we matched up levels of observance as well wherever necessary… It is very gratifying to be part of Am Yisrael at times like this.”