(JTA) – The Manischewitz Co. said it will close its plant in Newark, New Jersey, cutting the jobs of 169 workers. The closing and layoffs will be effective as of Sept. 14. “At a challenging time in the retail and grocery business, we have made the difficult decision to close our plant in Newark,” a Manischewitz spokesman told njbiz.com, a local business news website. “Beginning this fall, our products will be made at more modern New Jersey facilities.” Manischewitz is working to help the laid-off employees find jobs, the spokesman said. The company’s executives will remain at the current offices in Newark, where they moved in 2006 following a consolidation effort. At the time, Newark Mayor Cory Booker said the company’s presence in his city “makes me the proudest mayor in America. It gives me great nachis.” The 129-year-old company calls itself “the nation’s largest manufacturer of processed kosher food products and the No. 1 baker of matzah in the entire world.”

Caption: Baking matzos at the Manischewitz plant