"Many don't realize it, but preparations for Passover in Israel begin right after Sukkot, gearing up for the matzah season," shares Yedidia Harush, owner of a matzah bakery in the southern city of Netivot. "The first year was challenging for a new business. But the second year started well. We had orders from the United States and Russia. And then the war broke out."
Two years ago, Harush, 35, married with four children, a resident of the Gaza border region, opened a matzah bakery in Netivot called Faith and Health. "I wanted to ensure there were tasty matzah options," explains Harush, a resident of Shlomit in the Ashkelon Regional Council.
Why matzah specifically?
"On October 7, the residents of Shlomit went to defend the nearby Pri Gan community. Four friends were killed there. For five months, the family stayed in a hotel in Jerusalem, and shortly after that, I was called into the reserves. We entered the Gaza Strip, and I couldn't attend to anything related to my business or personal life," Harush recalls with pain.
After a month and a half, the bakery resumed operations, but all orders were canceled during that time, and it wasn't clear when it could reopen. "I have 50 employees, residents of the south and the Gaza border region, and I didn't want to send them home. When I was in Khan Younis, I had to pay the employees their salaries," adds Harush.
"My wife reached out to me and told me we couldn't pay salaries. The bank refused to give us credit. They said they were willing for us to take a loan from our personal account. I did it. It was a very tough moment for me.
"I said to myself, 'What's this? We're fighting for our home, risking our lives, and now I'm jeopardizing my home financially. But I said it'll be okay. We are believers."
"The main goal is for the business to survive"
Recently, Harush returned home, but the closure of the factory for a month and a half left him with a significant amount of unsold stock, fewer customers for the upcoming holiday, and many losses. "I was busy fighting, worrying about my family, about the situation in the country," he says, "and most customers turned to other sources to buy matzah."
Harush shared on various platforms about the financial difficulties he's faced since the war. Recently, the Jewish National Fund USA reached out to him with a solution, purchasing 5,500 packages of matzah worth $35,000, which they will distribute to displaced citizens from the Gaza and Lebanon border regions.
Now, Harush is back in business and chooses to look at the bright side. "My main goal this year is not to profit but to minimize financial damage so I can keep this business afloat," he says. "People who buy our matzah not only get amazing matzah but also fulfill a mitzvah, so the bakery workers can go home knowing they have a place to come back to next season."