Preseason Bulletin from the Guide to Chodosh, 11 Jun.00

[Y. Herman]

First Chodosh Bulletin For the New Season
11Jun 00
The Guide to Chodosh--Yoseph Herman

I hope all are enjoying the post-pesach season when there is no Chodosh
problem, when all foods are Yoshon. The Guide to Chodosh is starting to gear up
for the forthcoming season. This is the first Bulletin. It is being sent to you
to keep you informed of new developments.

WHEN IS CHODOSH STARTING AGAIN? WILL WE HAVE A MAJORITY YOSHOH?

It is still too early to predict with any accuracy when the Chodosh season will
start again. We are monitoring weekly reports from the US Department of
Agriculture. By now, almost all of the Chodosh crops have been planted and most
have shown appreciable growth. The current progress is about two weeks ahead of
the normal crop schedule. This may change as the crops mature. However, if this
trend is maintained, then we may see Chodosh spring wheat as early as the end
of July in the Midwest and as early as the second week of August in the
Northeast USA. I hope to keep you informed of this progress by E mail and by
voice recordings on the Chodosh News section of the Hot Line.

Pesach was “late” this year. It is natural to wonder if enough crops were
planted before pesach to make the majority of some crops Yoshon for the coming
season. The US Dep’t of Agriculture plans to issue its first estimate of total
new crop production in mid July. It is only after this report is published that
we can issue our own estimate of percent Yoshon for the new season. Here, too,
we will try to disseminate these estimates when they are available, towards the
end of July.

NEW E-MAIL SERVICE

For several years, the Chodosh information was being disseminated by a
commercial E-mail distribution service. In the middle of last year’s Chodosh
season, this service was sold to a “free” E-mail service. Our mailing list was
transferred in this sale. As you may have noted, there was a “price” to pay for
this new service. The price was that they attached commercial advertising to
our messages. We had no control over what ads they added. Some of them may have
been offensive to the sensitivities of observant Jews. Therefore, it is with
gratitude that we accepted the kind offer of Rabbi Yaakov Menken and Project
Genesis to allow us to use their computer services to distribute E mail
messages from the Guide to Chodosh in the forthcoming season. As in the past,
the Guide to Chodosh remains a fully independent project. It is not associated
with Project Genesis or any other organization.

You are receiving this message because your address was automatically
transferred to the new service. As in the past, we ask that PLEASE if you plan
to discontinue an E-mail or Internet service, first unsubscribe from the
Chodosh E mail list. To do this at this time, just send a blank message to:

chodosh-unsubscribe at jif.org.il

Then, when you resume E-mail service, you may, if you wish, resume receiving
our messages by sending a blank message from your new E-mail service to:

chodosh-subscribe at jif.org.il


OTHER CONTACT INFORMATION

The preferred method of getting quick response to Chodosh questions remains the
Chodosh Hot Line at 914-356-5743. As in the past, you record a question and
call back later for a recorded answer. You may also send E mail, but the
response may be slower. The E-mail address is

yherman at earthlink.net

Our fax number has changed. The preferred fax telephone number now is
914-356-5999. Usually, response to faxed questions is the slowest. Hot Line
voice recordings are usually answered the same day, E-mail should be answered
within a few days. Faxes may take longer.


YOSHON HASHGOCHOS

We will try to continue our campaign to encourage Yoshon establishments to
engage responsible mashgichim to certify the reliability of their Yoshon
arrangements. (The Guide never provides such supervision. It also does not
endorse any specific mashgiach or organization, nor does it ever accept any
fees for any listings in the Guide. ) The forthcoming Guide will list in
separate sections those foods and establishments that have mashgichim. You can
help by convincing your local establishments that it is beneficial to their
business if they engage such a mashgiach. The Guide needs a letter from each
mashgiach to be on file, to list the establishment as being under hashgocho.