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'''Balady Citron''' is a variety of [[Israeli]] [[citron]], or [[etrog]], grown in [[Palestine]] for Jewish ritual purposes. ''[[Balady]]'' is [[Arabic]] for "native." |
'''Balady Citron''' ({{lang-he|האתרוג הפלשתיני}}) is a variety of [[Israeli]] [[citron]], or [[etrog]], grown in [[Palestine]] for Jewish ritual purposes. ''[[Balady]]'' is [[Arabic]] for "native." |
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Local Arab farmers began using this name in the mid-19th century to distinguish this variety from the [[Greek citron]], which was cultivated along the [[Jaffa]] seashore. |
Local Arab farmers began using this name in the mid-19th century to distinguish this variety from the [[Greek citron]], which was cultivated along the [[Jaffa]] seashore. |
Revision as of 20:39, 26 November 2008
Balady | |
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Species | C. medica L. |
Balady Citron (Hebrew: האתרוג הפלשתיני) is a variety of Israeli citron, or etrog, grown in Palestine for Jewish ritual purposes. Balady is Arabic for "native."
Local Arab farmers began using this name in the mid-19th century to distinguish this variety from the Greek citron, which was cultivated along the Jaffa seashore.
The Balady was grown on the outskirts of Nablus and the neighboring Nazareth, on the outskirts of Safed and Alma al-Shaib, in Umm al-Fahm, in an orchard near Tiberias, and in Lifta village near Jerusalem.
History
The Balady was grown in the Land of Israel at the time of the destruction of the Second Temple; however, only small amounts were used as etrog and it was not exported. It is not an attractive variety of citron, and new settlers continued using varieties they were accustomed to use while still at Diaspora [1].
Citron varieties |
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Acidic-pulp varieties |
Non-acidic varieties |
Pulpless varieties |
Citron hybrids |
Related articles |
All of this changed in the 1870s, when Rabbi Chaim Elazar Vacks devoted himself to its cultivation, and managed to get it exported to Europe. Thanks to his high-esteemed authority and constant agitation, many individuals and even communities switched from the abundant Greek citron which was also called Corfu, to the Israeli Balady citron.
He believed that this variety of etrog has the strongest tradition-lineage of specie pureness, being found in the wilderness of Israel when the first settlers, including Nahmanides (1194 – c. 1270), arrived there. While the variety is not domesticated, it does not require grafted or intensive cultivation techniques. Even during the following years it was always utilized by great scholars and pious persons, who were certainly clear about its purity and appropriateness.
Even more importantly, he viewed in this trade an economic rescue for the Yishuv haYashan of Jerusalem. He himself spent huge amounts of money to plant etrog orchards in the village of Haitin, which is close to the city of Tiberias. He placed all the profits in the hands of the Warsaw Kolel which he was heading, which provided aid for the Jewish families from Polish origin, who were struggling from hunger and pain. The situation of those families gradually improved as a result of his effort.
He wrote many letters to the rest of the Rabbis in his time to influence the Judaism of Diaspora, that they should use only this strictly kosher citron. Those letters are published in his responsa Nefesh Haya as well in the responsas of those with whom he co-responded, and in special booklets dealing with the controversies of the Corfu and in promotion of an Israeli.
At the same time, the pro-Zionist newsletters haMelitz and haLevanon were instrumental in a vast agitation to build up an Etrog-economy in Palestine, paving the way for a Zionist state.
Decline & Intraspecific Graft
Despite all efforts, the Balady was still unable to compete with the Greek citron. At some years before, the Greek citron was already introduced for plantation by the Sephardic settlers thanks to the financial support and advocacy by Sir Moses Montefiore. This kind was also sold in diaspora as Israeli citron, and did quite a better job in competing with the Greek of Greece. Consequently, the Balady got to run a battle in two directions.
The supporters of the Etrog idea were strained in a conflict of interest. The Greek citron of Jaffa showed a good economical future, whereas the Halachic intensions were against it.
As a partial solution, the Greek-Jaffa citron was occasionally grafted onto Balady rootstock. The progeny achieved the beautiful properties of the scion type, while the possible influence of lemon rootstock was assumed to be flushed, and replaced with that of the most kosher Balady rootstock [2].
At some point, even Rabbi Vacks himself was forced to commence topworking to part of his orchard, in order to replace part of the crop with the most beautiful Greek citron[3].
Rescue & Selections
The Old Yishuv rabbis Shmuel Salant and Meir Aurbach highly supported the progeny of Umm el-Fahm, but those declined very fast. Even later, there were still some Israeli rabbis who where not involved in the export, nor in agitation, and preferred doing the utmost for the rescue of Balady. Each of them collected propagation material from a different place, and brought them into cultivation under close supervision. This is how it developed a diversity of sub-varieties or selections called with different naming.
The list of those instrumental rabbis includes (arranged in order of date): Rabbi Zarach Reuven Braverman dean of the Yeshiva Meah Shearim and Rabbi Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld[4] students and close disciples of Rabbi Yehoshua Leib Diskin, which are said to have been inspired to this ambition by their great master.
When the Chazon Ish reached the Holy Land, he made his own selection according to his satisfaction. He gave to plant for Yakov Halperin the founder of Zichron Meir in Bnei Brak the variety called Halperin-Chazon Ish, and to the Rabbi Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz the variety called Lefkowitz-Chazon Ish.
Even Rabbi Abraham Kook who very much promoted the intraspecific graft with his Hechsher, still certified that those etrogim cultivated around Schem and different Arabic villages, are not grafted at all.
Balady citron are grown and sold today in diaspora as in Israel, and are of favorite by the adherents to the rulling of the Chazon Ish.
References
- ^ Letter by Rabbi Shneor Zalman of Lublin, the Torath Chesed
- Responsa Imrei Bina by Rabbi Meir Aurbach, chapter 11 of the lest cycle of the first volume שו"ת אמרי בינה או"ח-יו"ד סוה"ס סי' יא
- ^ Igros HoRaye 52
- ^ Biography of Rabbi Vacks
- ^ According to Professor Eliezer E. Goldschmidt (Hilkhot Sadeh, issue 146, Elul 5765, Page 24) the Kibilewitz-etrog was obtained in 1910 at the remote nature of Wadi Qelt. According to the Widdow Kibilewitz and Mr. & Mrs. Kelli it was obtained by Rabbi Zonenfeld.
- Kuntres Pri Etz Hadar (Jerusalem תרל"ח)
- The publication "Yehuda Ve'Yerushelaim" edited by Rabbi Yoel Moshe Solomon.
- Agudath Pri Etz Hadar Jerusalem
- Letter from Palestine by Rabbi Yaakov Even Sapir
- Article from Rabbi Tzinner about Citron in Israel
- Information in Hebrew
HaLevanon links
- HaLevanon 11 no 23 Moshe Montefiori supporting plantation.
- HaLevanon 13 no 42 Letter by Rabbi Meir Aurbach, no 47 Letter by the Sephardic Chacham Bashi Rabbi Avraham Ashkenazi that there are some murkavim in Jaffa and in the neighborhood of Jerusalem and that since he realized that all the etrogs are starting with a Pitam, an Etrog that doesn't have one should not be used.
- HaLevanon 14 no 2 go right to page 4 - History of Balady and description of sub-varieties by Yakov Sapir, No 9 - page 5 no 14 - page 4 - no 15 - page 7 Yakov Sapir addressing the conflict between the Jaffa-Greek etrog and the Balady.
External links
- A DNA comparison between the Israeli varieties among others, at The Search for the Authentic Citron: Historic and Genetic Analysis; HortScienc 40(7):1963-1968. 2005
- Jewish News Weekly
- The New York Times
- The Zionist side about citrus cultivation in Israel
- The Palestinian side about citrus cultivation in Israel
- The Hope Simpson Report at UNISPAL. CHAPTER VIII. Agricultural Produce. (a) CITRUS CULTIVATION