Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
News

TSA Plans Extra Care for Passover — Warns Matzo Is Fragile

The Transportation Security Administration said its employees are aware of Jewish needs during Passover and will accommodate requests for delicate handling of religious items.

“Our workforce is aware of the unique items carried by individuals and religious practices individuals may engage in while traveling,” said a statement posted April 2. “This may include reading of religious text or participating in prayer rituals. Observant travelers may be wearing a head covering, prayer shawl, and phylacteries — in Hebrew, kippah, tallit, and tefillin.”

The TSA also said it is aware that there will be increased travel between April 14 and April 22.

The statement noted the fragility of matzah.

“Some travelers will be carrying boxes of matzah, which are consumed as part of the Passover ritual,” it said. “Matzah can be machine or handmade and are typically very thin and fragile, and break easily,” the release said.

“Passengers traveling with religious items, including handmade matzoh, may request a hand inspection by the TSO of the items at the security checkpoint.” TSO is the abbreviation for Transport Security Officer.

Agudath Israel of America, an umbrella group for Orthodox congregations, expressed its “profound thanks” for the notice.

“We have no doubt that TSA’s efforts to educate the public and its personnel on religious issues will go far in avoiding misunderstandings and mishaps,” said the group’s Washington director, Rabbi Abba Cohen. “The agency has been deeply sensitive to our community’s needs and concerns on this and many issues.”

Read more: http://www.jta.org/2014/04/10/news-opinion/united-states/tsa-notes-fragility-of-matzah-in-passover-statement#ixzz2yTo1TADN

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.