After contending Thursday with the sudden shortage in fixed-price breads, grocery store owners in the Dan region were worried about the expected shortage in challahs Friday.

"I work with Tekuma bakery in Ashkelon, which worked partially today," Ephraim Shlomov, owner of Makolet Ephraim in Bnei Brak said Thursday. "We didn't get regular bread, but customers made do with rolls and pitas. Challahs are another matter altogether, especially in a city like ours."

Plain challahs and other fixed-price breads will not be available Fiday in most places throughout the country, a result of the dispute between bakery owners and the government, which supervises the price of basic bread items.

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"There is no regular bread, which costs NIS 3.65, and not everyone can buy special bread or light challah, which costs NIS 11.90," said Arcadi Melkov, owner of a minimarket in Ramat Gan.

One of his customers remained undaunted: "So we'll say the blessing over pitas, or with two rolls," she suggested.