This Mobile Matzah Factory Will Come to You

On a bright pre-Passover spring afternoon at Chabad of North Hollywood, there stood the 50 happiest children in the neighborhood. 

Why were they so happy? 

Chabad’s mobile Martin Ackermann Model Matzah Factory, with CEO Rabbi Aron Teleshevsky at the controls, had just wheeled onto the grounds on Chandler Boulevard.

Students from Chabad of North Hollywood’s Hebrew school, ranging from 5 to 12 years old, were about to make their very own matzahs, with Teleshevsky’s necessary assistance, of course.

“What is so powerful about this occasion,” said Rabbi Yitz Abend, “is that it allows children to have a hands-on understanding of what it means to have matzah.” 

The aroma emanating from the portable stove could be smelled in the air. There isn’t any replacement for an in-person experience.

Abend said if you are just buying matzah from a market, you won’t understand what goes into the process.

The rabbi said, “One of my earliest memories in school is going to the matzah factory. I meet teens all the time who tell me, ‘Oh, rabbi, I always loved the matzah bakery.’ It was a highlight of their year.”

Before the children arrived, Abend told a visitor, “Remember: this is a mobile model matzah factory, not like the real bakeries that we have in Israel, in New York and Ukraine.”

In Los Angeles, the matzah factory concept dates back about 40 years, and matzah-making during the Passover season has been on wheels for about a half-dozen years, Teleshevsky said.

Starting shortly after Purim and continuing for three weeks, the native Australian goes to Jewish neighborhoods in Los Angeles, making about 60 stops. Since he doesn’t do it on Shabbat, this averages to about three stops daily.

Outgoing and jovial, Teleshevsky said, “I had the great merit of taking over the Chabad Matzah Factory 10 years ago,” two years after landing from Australia.

“I am the Matzah Man,” he said. “Matzah factories are here and probably in every city where there is a Jewish population in the world. The idea is to create, harness and inspire the already present spirit of arousal and energy that people feel around holidays, especially Passover, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.”

Teleshevsky’s personality and his easy-flowing interaction with the students make it clear he and the Martin Ackermann Model Matzah Factory were a match made in Chabad heaven.

“What I like best about doing this is the enthusiasm, the smiles, the looks on the kids’ faces. Amazing to see their excitement, the joy and their energy.”

The Matzah Factory went mobile for the most basic of community reasons, a founding principle of Chabad: to reach more people.

“This is an opportunity to reach more people. Very few pre-schools came to us before we became mobile.”  – Aron Teleshevsky

“There are only so many people who will come to a Chabad House,” said Teleshevsky, who is based at Chabad of Playa del Rey. “This is an opportunity to reach more people. Very few pre-schools came to us before we became mobile. Once we started this, we reached them. Similarly, there may have been families who were not comfortable bringing their children to Chabad for whatever reason.”

The Gayley Avenue Westwood quarters of Chabad was the home of the Matzah Factory for decades.

“We are not about labels, not about having a power struggle,” said Teleshevsky in the spirit of Chabad. “Let’s get the kids educated. Whatever it takes. If you want us to come to you, we will.”

The mobile Martin Ackermann Model Matzah Factory came by its name about five years ago.

Teleshevsky said, “Craig Ackermann, a lawyer, community activist and lover of the Jewish people, Jewish children, has dedicated the matzah bakery on an annual basis to the memory of his father, Martin, who was passionate about Jewish continuity.” 

And every Passover, hundreds, even thousands, are grateful.