Instead of asking "why is this night different from all other nights," many seder participants will be asking "where are the Tam Tams"? Manischewitz broke the tragic news today that Tam Tams, their bite-sized matzo crackers, will not be available in time for Passover this year. Tam Tams made their debut in 1940 and have been produced every year for the past 86 until now, derailed by a delay in the installation of a new $15 million oven in their New Jersey plant.
The December installation didn't leave enough time for the boost in production needed for Passover tables across the region, which usually takes about five months. Manichewitz made the tough decision about which products to produce in their shortened time frame and Tam Tams didn't make the cut. Spokesman David Rossi explained, "We realized there are only so many hours in the day that we can make matzos, and something had to give."
So what's a Jew to do? Either buy similar products from competitors or make do with last year's batch, which might still be available if stores didn't sell out last year. Failing that, just stick to regular matzoh. Next year, with Tam Tams. Or in Jerusalem. Or both.
