Etrogs grow all over Asia—here’s why most Asian Jews import them anyway
JORDYN HAIME/JTA
(fragrant citrus, or citron) in Chinese. While American Jews may spend anywhere be- tween $20 and $200 on a single etrog grown in the Mediterranean, etrogs grown in China, mostly in the southwestern Yunnan province, are available on Taobao for about $2 each. Taobao also sells a wide array of tradition- al products made from the etrog, including tea, perfume, preserves and candy. The fruit is well known in China as a medicine used to treat everything from stomach issues to se- vere cough. (The components of the lulav, the other major component of Sukkot rituals, are available, too, in potted form: palm, willow, and
myrtle plants go for around $7 altogether.) But even though etrogs are available local- ly, most Jewish communities throughout Asia opt to import them from countries such as Israel or Italy for Sukkot. That’s because rabbinic authorities on Jewish law have for decades debated whether etrogs grown in Asia meet the standards for ritual use. The etrog plays a central role on Suk- kot, when Jews are commanded to hold it as they shake the lulav and recite the holiday’s prayers. The fruit’s ritual sig- nificance has given rise to a competitive marketplace: some Jews pay hundreds of
R ebecca Kanthor, a member of a pro- gressive Jewish community in Shang- hai, knows that she can easily order lulavs and etrogs in a few clicks online. Kanthor, who belongs to Kehilat Shanghai, simply logs onto Taobao, China’s equivalent to Amazon. Etrogs, important components of the Sukkot holiday, are known as xiang yuan This story was published by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in anticipation of Sukkot last year; we think it’s still pretty neat.
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