Passover is time for matzoh

The Jewish holiday of Passover, which begins at sundown on April 3, celebrates the biblical story of the Israelites' escape from slavery and exodus from Egypt. One of the main observances of the holiday involves eating matzoh, or unleavened bread.

Making the traditional unleavened bread is an intricate and time conscious process. In these photos by Associated Press photographer Oded Balilty, Ultra-Orthodox Jews prepare Shmurah matzoh at a Tel Aviv factory.

Shmurah means “watched,” and it's a fitting description of this matzoh, which is handmade under strict guidelines. Flour and water are the only ingrediants and they're watched from the moment of harvest through the actual baking of the matzoh.

Religious and traditional guidelines dictate that that no machinery be used in the baking process, which can't last longer than 18 minutes from start to finish, and that no broken pieces are allowed. (David Handschuh/Yahoo News)

Photographs by Oded Balilty/Associated Press

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