Usually, Israel farms its own eggs and even enjoys a surplus. The exception, however, is the holiday of Passover and High Holidays in the fall, including Rosh Hashanah and Sukkoth. During those times, the demand for eggs often increases beyond Israel’s capacity. That is why the Agriculture Ministry allows the importation of eggs. This year, the ministry permitted the import of 140 million eggs from Spain and Ukraine. However,  there was an outbreak of the bird flu in Spain. Though most of the eggs are to arrive from Ukraine, if Ukraine goes to war with Russia, Jerusalem fears it will halt Kyiv’s ability to export eggs to Israel. 

There is a sharp increase in demand for eggs on Passover, a holiday that even demands an egg for the Seder Plate. The chickens cannot produce any more eggs on Passover, and there is no benefit to increasing hatching frequency all year round,” an egg salesperson told Ynet. He explained that Ukraine is the most viable alternative as Turkey’s eggs do not meet the veterinary standards and that Italy’s fowl, like Spain and other western European countries, are also suffering from the bird flu.

As the demand for eggs will inevitably rise, so will the price. And the people in Israel who will be hurt the most by it are the poor.

That’s why the Colel Chabad organization is ramping up efforts to ensure that Israelis who can’t afford eggs get them. They do this by locating families in need and providing them with gift cards to redeem in supermarkets. For those who are homebound, Colel Chabad delivers food to their door…including eggs.

But they can’t do it alone. Colel Chabad is a charitable organization that operates off of donations. 

Can you help feed a needy family in Israel?

If you can, please donate to Colel Chabad Today.