Over 350 esrogim from Calabria, Italy were detected and confiscated by Israeli customs agents. It is an annual event, with merchants devising new-and-improved methods to smuggle the valuable esrogim into the country. Nevertheless, not all of their efforts are successful.
While the Ministry of Agriculture officially permits importing the esrogim, merchants explain this is easier said than done and in actuality, most seem to resort to try to bring the esrogim in under the radar. They explain the process to have the esrog declared clean for import is not in line with reality if one wishes to sell such an esrog for the mitzvah.
Attorney Mordechai Tzivin is quoted by Chadrei Chareidim as saying “the regulations set by the ministry are in contradiction with the law guaranteeing freedom of religion”. Tzivin has been working to have several dozen of the esrogim released from customs in time to sell them for Sukkos. He adds that the situation is that much more disturbing since this occurs “davka in the Jewish country”.
Ministry officials promise to find a workable solution by next year.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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12 Responses
Why would Israel have a need for imported esrogim?
Is the government restricting imports of Italian esrogim? Is this an economic matter (protecting Israeli esrog growers from competition) or a halachic matter. Given that Italy has higher production costs, it seems dubious that the Italian esrog can udnercut Israelis ones in Israel. Also Italy is at an advantage in shipping to France and Britain (being EU members) or the US (it’s closer).
Lulav hagazul?
#1, Because many people have a tradition to use only Calabrian esrogim. But basically, why is it your business, or the Israeli government’s?
#3, Gazul? The government isn’t planning to say a bracha on them! It’s probably destroyed them, so the issue doesn’t arise.
Chabad specifically uses Calabria etrogim, that is why there is demand for this type in Israel.
Its pretty simple: italian esrogim may have bugs that Israel would rather keep out, so they want to inspect them. The inspection may render them unkosher.
BTW the USA does the same with Israeli esrogim
For some frum yidden, having a special esrog from Calabria to be hidur mitzvah for succos sometimes become more important than even feeding their families. Whats sad is that an esrog that costs about 1 or 2 Euros in Rome is marked up 100x and even 200x times its original cost when sold in EY, BP or willy. The excuses I hear for this obscene price gouging are pathetic (the trees have special hashgacha to assure there was no grafting, special packaging materials were employed to assure no blemishes and the stem isn’t damaged and even the bizarre bubbamiesas that the esrog was “grown l’sem mitzvah” as if it were shmurah matzah. Like anything else, once we create unnecessary chumrahs, we inevitably are taking money from the pockets of poor and gullible yidden and making some selfish and wealthy yidden even richer.
As other posters noted, if you live in E’Y, why not use Israeli Esrogs. Support your country economically, your nation, and most of all E’Y.
I was thinking of an interesting side question. Would a smuggled estrog be considered invalid because it may be considered “stolen” meaning lied about at customs and immigration, breaking the laws of the nation?. We are not talking about anti semetic nineteenth century Europe here
This is a simple issue of agriculture protection regulations. This has nothing to do with freedom of religion whatsoever. The regulations are designed to ensure that Israel remains free from plant diseases. The regulations are not difficult to comply with but there is a process and you will need a customs agent to clear your goods. Of course breaking the law and smuggling in the esrogim in a suitcase is far cheaper and no one has a record of their import so there are no pesky issues of income tax and VAT to deal with either. Next we will hear of someone stopped with 26 bottles of expensive liquor bought duty free who claims he is bringing them in for the mitzva of drinking lechaim after the fish. The customs should treat these esrogim as any other fruit being smuggled into Israel: confiscate them and destroy them. When will the haredi olam wake up and realize that the whole world is not a shtibel?
CHabad Chassidim prefer Italian esrogim. Actually, they want Sicilian ones.
Yaakov Doe:
The Esrogim from Calabria have the most established Mesorah in the world. The old Minhag in Ashkenaz was to make a Brocho davka on an esrog from there. The ones grown in Italy are pure Calabria. The Chabad ones are not, as the Calabria tree does not grow well in Israel, and they need to graft the Calabria with some home-tended tree, like Chazon Ish.
Test comment, wondering why the previous comment is still in the queue.