It’s no secret that eggs—yes, basic, essential eggs—are now hitting $9 a dozen. And with Pesach just five weeks away, the situation is only getting worse. Egg prices are expected to climb even higher. The most basic staple of our Yom Tov preparations, from cooking to baking to fulfilling minhagim, has practically become a luxury item.
And let’s be clear—this isn’t just a Jewish community problem. Every single household in America is feeling the squeeze. Every store, every shopper, every struggling family. This is a national crisis. But for our communities, where Pesach shopping is already an enormous financial burden, this could be catastrophic.
We have an opportunity. A responsibility. And the solution is staring us in the face: Where are our gevirim?
Imagine this: A pool of let’s say $10 million, created by those with the means to help, used to buy eggs in bulk at the lowest possible price. Hundreds of thousands—maybe millions—of dozens of eggs purchased directly from suppliers, cutting out the middlemen, eliminating unnecessary markups, and selling them at cost to our communities.
No profit. No markup. Purely lesheim shamayim.
Set up distribution centers in every major frum community—Lakewood, Monsey, Baltimore, Flatbush, Boro Park, Williamsburg, Crown Heights, Chicago, Florida, and beyond. Families walk in, buy what they need at cost, and walk out knowing they won’t have to choose between preparing for Pesach and paying their mortgage.
This isn’t tzedaka. This isn’t a handout. This is Klal Yisrael taking care of its own.
The market isn’t waiting. Every day, prices climb higher. If we don’t act now, the numbers are likely to only get worse. We have the resources. We have the connections. We have the ability to turn this idea into reality—but only if we move fast.
So, to the gevirim reading this: This is your moment. Step up. Make the calls. Gather the funds. Do what needs to be done. Because this Pesach, we cannot let egg prices spoil our Simchas Yom Tov.
Sincerely,
F.A.
The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review.
33 Responses
And yet another letter demanding that somebody do something with someone else’s money with virtually no specifics.
You think it’s a worthy idea? Do you think it can be done? Go out and do it. Go meet with the people, go raise the funds, and make it happen.
Love these fake “calls for action” as if some rich people who are already going away without feeling the pinch are going to suddenly gather and Mass purchase eggs for everyone. Go back to bed
What a dumb idea.
First of all, the cost of eggs is ridiculous, but we’re talking $4-$7 more than normal per carton. This isn’t going to prevent people from paying the mortgage.
Second, the real answer is to get more chickens producing more eggs. The Biden administration ordered the mass slaughter of chickens, and we’re still felling the effect
What are the prices for eggs in Bingo? Costco? Traders Joe?
From what I hear they still have eggs at a reasonable price. Going there for your eggs seems to be a simpler solution.
Crisis Averted!
This year we will have an extra egg in the plate זכר לרכוש גדול
An egg, or lack thereof, has never enhanced or dampened my simchas Yom Tov one iota. To read this hysterical rant, you’d think an asteroid was about to strike Earth. Get a life, for your own sake.
The chickens that lay the eggs are dead. Dead chickens don’t lay eggs, and it take months to raise new ones. The problem is one of simple supply and demand – if you cut the supply without cutting demand, prices rise.
If you can get around rules restricting imports, not to mention possible tariffs, you can probably buy eggs from other countries, assuming they have some to spare. It won’t be cheap. Perhaps the Israelis have extra eggs, or can ship powdered eggs with a Pesach hecksher, but this assumes they realized the need to do so last fall.
There’s nothing easier & gives the greatest pleasure than spending other people’s money.
I think it’s time to buy chickens
egg prices are crazy , but its the least of your pesach expenses even if u use 25 dozen at an addl $7 thats under 200,= less than one kova hat, or one pair of shoes , many will spend 5x the eggs on goyta in the weeks leading up to yomtov, how much are u spending chol hamoed? and if your childs camp has the chutzpa to swipe your card again before yom tov than the eggs are peanuts
Eggsellent idea. Eggsactly what I was thinking. Get crackin on it. Will the eggs be with a hechsher? Washed or unwashed eggs? Organic and free range? No one size egg fits all – everyone has their chumros!
you have not a clue about the egg business you are just concerned about your scrambled eggs with matzho
so you pin this on the givirim
when i grew up you didnt schnorr or expect a gvir to bail you out
you worked hard and made due with what you had
no credit cards no borrowing
What on earth? You think wealthy people are going to mass purchase eggs for us so you could save a few dollars at most? They’re going away to their Villas and Hotel programs where eggs is probably the cheapest thing on the list. What’s another 200 bucks for eggs when you spend 12K
You’re crying about eggs for pesach?What about matzo? You’d think they were gold plated. Skip the $45 per pound hand shmurah and buy machine shmurah at less than $10 per pound and you’ll have enough to buy eggs.
F.A. You certainly deserve to be commended for your concern and suggestion to help Klall Yisroel. May I humbly suggest that this is your opportunity to grab the horse by the reins, start the process, organize this project, and make the calls to the gevirim? Why leave this to the “gevirim” when you have the opportunity to be the “gevir”? Having money doesn’t necessarily make you a gevir. Sometimes all it takes is to think and act like a gevir and daven for Siyata D’Shemaya.
Pesach is SIX weeks away, not five.
And I’m not sure why this isn’t tzedaka? And what’s wrong with tzedaka?
Matzohs,morer,wine,,potatoes,onions,
And Roman lettuce don’t need eggs.
So you will buy one egg for your Seder. The money people spend on going to hotels etc is far pricier than the eggs. Too many eggs is not good for cholesterol. I guess the real rich will fly to other countries that have cheaper eggs.
that sounds great, but it makes a very unfounded assumption: that the problem can be solved by bypassing the retailer. not likely. grocers usually set their prices based on their cost plus a fairly reasonable percentage of markup. if the price has doubled, it’s because their cost has doubled. cutting out their markup will make the eggs a little cheaper, but it won’t solve the basic problem, that about 20 million hens had to be put down. “buying at cost” will still be more expensive than you think.
this is a great idea, but in orrder to distribute those eggs you will need refrigerated distribution centers and trucks and local distribution centers (all of those incur costs)
*thinks for a moment*
all that infrastructure exists, the total net profit is probably $1 per dozen if everyone didn’t apply a profit for their step of the way.
This idea shows a lack of understanding in basic economics.
Instead of getting Gevirim to solve problems for the entire klal yisroel – YOU research where there is a local farm & see if they are willing to sell you in bulk and for what price, then do some math & see if it would come out cheaper for your community (take into account trucking and payment processing) if the math maths you can advertise a bulk sale.
Hanging up a simple sign on a bulletin board & doing a one day sale for your community will probably be much more efficient and can potentially save families $50 -$100
Any problem call the GEVIR
Eggs expensive. Call the GEVIR
Matzohs expensive. call the GEVIR
Hamantaschen need eggs. call the GEVIR
Cheese blintzes need eggs. Call the GEVIR
Eier metzvivel shabbos. Call the GEVIR
With all these eggs being cracked you may crack the GEVIR.
The poor GEVIR may have to borrow an egg from you in the end.
Or he may scramble one morning.
From a humble GEVIR.
This won’t work anyways. Add in the cost of the distribution centers and the people working the distribution centers, and the fact that the lack of relationships with the suppliers will mean higher wholesale costs, and you’ll be right back where you started to begin with.
To all, the article wrote “and selling them at cost to our communities”
Nobody said that the givirim should pay for it or take a loss!!
Mashiach is supposed to come when there is an olam hafuch.
We have reached a point in time when the comment section of editorials now exhibit far more common sense than the editorials themselves. Mashiach must be coming soon.
You don’t understand
I know the wholesale price of eggs and it’s not that much cheaper than retail, what you’ll save $2 a dozen?
Still cheaper than Matzah
1 dozen large white eggs are 3.99 today at 7 Mile Market in Baltimore. Then again 2800 square foot, 6 bedroom, 4.5 bathroom townhouses are $499k. So it makes sense
im shipping in 1000 eggs for a great deal from ukraine here->https://babel.ua/en/news/113097-ukraine-will-check-whether-the-price-of-eggs-has-been-raised-legally
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1466632/egg-production-in-ukraine/#:~:text=In%202023%2C%20approximately%2011.4%20billion,in%202013%20at%2019.6%20millions.
Last year it was a chicken shortage and the price of chickens and meat doubled. Same every year
Why aren’t you screaming about 35-40 a pound Matzoh
Maybe g-d is telling us to go back to basics
Oh yeah they’ve raised their prices to
Some ones are getting rich on us
There is no חיוב to eat an egg at commencement of שלחן-ערוך and doing so isn’t even mentioned in קדש ורחץ and indeed our מנהג is not to consume any egg for שלחן-ערוך
Here is an improved idea:
Get the gvirim to buy chicken farms, employ dozens of yidden to run the farms, distribute the eggs to stores. The egg prices won’t go down, but dozens of yidden will have good paying jobs and will be able to afford the eggs.
Now, do the same with all other industries,,,
Or there are plenty of kosher lepesach recipes that dont have eggs….
So you won’t have kp cake this year… if you made it through corona, you’ll be able to make it through this too
what a stupid article
the basic raise in a lb of chivken and the raise of a lb of matzho is more more than the average family will pay in an increase of egg prices