With the Sukkos holiday still several months away, those involved in the procurement of “Yanover” esrogim are already predicting an especially slim market for the many Jews who seek out this unique species of Italian esrogim.

Harsh Winter in Italy Takes Toll on ‘Yanover’ Esrogim

from Hamodia by Rafael Hoffman:

With the Sukkos holiday still several months away, those involved in the procurement of “Yanover” esrogim are already predicting an especially slim market for the many Jews who seek out this unique species of Italian esrogim.

Rabbi Menachem Lazar, co-director of Chabad Piazza Bologna, Rome, who is involved in supervising the fields on which the esrogim grow, said that a few days of severe frost this past winter had destroyed a large number of trees.

“At first, the farmers told us that 90 percent had been wiped out. Now they think that it may be a little less, but that would still mean much less then we have ever had in a year,” he told Hamodia. “We won’t really know what the situation is until they are ready to be cut, but for sure there will be a lot less than usual and much lower quality.”

The term Yanover can be somewhat misleading to those without a historical background in the esrog trade. The word is Yiddish for the Italian port city of Genoa from which the esrogim were originally shipped to Jewish communities. In fact, the esrogim themselves are grown in the Calabria region on the southwestern cost of Italy.

Pure citron trees are particularly susceptible to weather conditions as their roots spread out widely and grow close to the surface of the ground. Too much heat or cold can easily ruin all but the heartiest of plants. The difficulty in managing the trees has led many farmers over the years to graft the trees with lime branches, making them much stronger — but unfit for the mitzvah of daled minim, which can be performed only with a pure esrog.

In recent decades, a large selection of esrogim grown in Eretz Yisrael have captured the lion’s share of the market. Kfar Chabad esrogim are actually produced from trees planted from branches taken from Calabria. Yet, particularly in the communities of Lubavitch and Satmar, tremendous favor is shown toward the original Yanover variety. Many Yidden of Hungarian descent also prefer them, as they were used by the Chasam Sofer, who gave them a strong approbation of authenticity.

Farming kosher Calabria esrogim is always a challenge, but this year, four days of sub-zero temperatures caused a freeze that killed many of the trees and retarded the growth of many others.

Yoel Levy, who travels to Calabria and Morocco every year to select esrogim for his daled minim business in Kiryas Joel, said that he is afraid the effects of the frost will leave many of his customers unhappy this year.

“When people come to buy esrogim who have been my customers for years, they don’t want to hear any excuses,” he told Hamodia. “I just want everybody to be happy. You should see the look on people’s faces when they walk out of the store with a nice esrog; it’s a bigger smile than when they get a new car. I’m not sure how I’m going to handle it this year. I’m hoping for a big brachah in the Moroccan esrogim that can make up for the Yanover.”

Click here to continue reading at Hamodia.

8 Comments

  • Maybe it was..

    Another excuse to raise prices . One year Succos comes out early so the Esrogim are not ripe yet. One year Succos comes out late.. Does Succos ever come out on time

  • Food Stamps

    I was just thinking about how I have more money than I know what to do with and how all my expenses have gone down while my income has gone up.

    At this point, it’s insult to injury, please Riboino shel Oilum,

    Moshiach Now!

  • Dumb

    Every year we hear the same thing…stop ripping us off for a mitvah..this year i am buying a kfar chabad yanivr enough is enough…

  • Sukkot & Pesach

    The article from Hamodia wrote “Farming kosher Calabria esrogim is always a challenge, but this year, four days of sub-zero temperatures caused a freeze that killed many of the trees and retarded the growth of many others”. The word retarded isn’t a nice word even when used for plants & trees bec it reminds ppl of the word being used for ppl, when in that case is a very nasty word, they could have said “Farming kosher Calabria esrogim is always a challenge, but this year, four days of sub-zero temperatures caused a freeze that killed many of the trees and messed up the growth of many others”. The point I’m trying to bring out is that this word should be avoided by all cost, it’s extremely nasty, to the extent that on this website when u have articles on the Friendship Circle or anything to do with ppl who have special challenges you use the word “Special Needs” & “Not Retarted” I’m just bringing out the point how careful we have to be with the words we use & how we say it, in this case they could have used the word “messed up”, again I know that CH info is only bringing an article from Hamodia, but my comment is on the wording of Hamodia & how they could have used a different word to get out the same message, the word they used is a very very strong hurtful, careless, nasty, extremely painful word, ty & let’s be careful even in articles the words we use, ty ty

  • Zalman Shimon

    Does this mean the prices for Esrogim this coming Sukkos is gona be extremely high ? Is it possible to get from KC (Kfar Chabad) which are Esrogim originally from Yanov (Calabria) & just replanted in the Holy Land, anyone have any info ?

  • shlomo

    common israeli story))) today it’s for cucumber (check israely news) tomorrow tomatoes before Rosh Hashana honey(always) and after etrogs. just do not believe