Hagay Kirshenbaum, a fifth-generation citron grower — “and the 14th generation in Israel,” he says — tells Al-Monitor that citron, or “etrog,” growers in Israel are “furious”: The Agriculture Ministry has decided to continue to import citrons to Israel. In 2013, 1,500 citrons were imported to Israel from Morocco, while this year, the number of imported citrons — from Morocco and Italy — has increased to 4,000.

The citron is a citrus fruit, but contrary to other citrus fruits, it isn't edible when picked off the tree. It constitutes an inseparable part of the Jewish "four species" tradition. During the Feast of the Tabernacles, Jews introduce under the Sukkah (the "hut" constructed for the feast) four plants: citron, a frond from a date palm tree and branches of myrtle and willow trees. They make a blessing over the four and wave them in different directions. Each plant represents a different aspect of the Jewish people.

Most days of the year, the citron is of no great interest. But for large swaths of Jewish communities around the world, the Feast of the Tabernacles isn't complete without the citron. This entails a feisty competition over cultivating and selling it. The competition is enhanced by different Jewish communities having different traditions, some generations-long, regarding their preferred citron.

The Ministry of Agriculture explains that the importation is designed “to ensure a steady supply of the Four Species all across Israel, to satisfy the demand of anyone seeking to fulfill the commandments of Sukkot.” However, some argue that the import of citrons is actually motivated by political considerations. “Each community has its favorite citrons,” a source involved in the field told Al-Monitor, “and many of the Jews who came to Israel from Morocco are looking for citrons of the kind they are used to.”