[Avodah] Shemitta Flowers in America

[Ari Z. Zivotofsky]

where do people get these statistics from? and why do the masses believe 
them.
hayitachen that 30% of all flowers in the huge 300,000,000 people USA 
are from Israel??
I find that hard to believe.

I asked my agriculture consultant and this is what he wrote me:

"So far I spoke to the head of flowers of Shaham- he says we're lucky if 
we have 1/2% in the US! Other than the ignorance, the use of the term 
"sheviis-free" is offensive. It makes shmitta sound like a STD!"

Ari

kennethgmiller at juno.com wrote:

>The Erev Rosh Hashana issue of (the American edition of) Hamodia contained a whole special magazine section about Shemittah. Page 26 began a four-page article titled, "Q&A: Harav Belsky Responds -- Piskei Halachah that apply to the mitzvah of shemittah from Hagaon Harav Yisroel Belsky, shlita, Rosh Yeshivah of Yeshivah and Mesivta Torah Vodaath in Brooklyn, NY"
>
>The very first of these Questions and Answers is as follows:
>
>  
>
>>Q: Since over 30 percent of the American supply of flowers
>>comes from Eretz Yisrael, is one mechuyav to verify the
>>source of flowers before buying them? Is a non-Jew believed
>>if he says that a fruit Is not from Eretz Yisrael? (This
>>question is applicable all year.)
>>
>>A: When one buys from a vendor who carries no packaging
>>(boxes in which the flowers were shipped) he may assume that
>>the flowers are not sheviis, provided that a solid majority
>>(rov) of at least 60 percent of the kind of flower being
>>marketed is not from Eretz Yisrael. If the vendor has the
>>packaging, the customer should ask to be allowed to go to
>>the back to take a look. The country of origin will appear
>>on the box. Public-minded organizations should provide
>>regular information about the percentages and have them
>>posted properly. Stores that cooperate in allowing
>>observation by mashgichim should be publicized so that one
>>could shop at them (if they carry sheviis-free products only)
>>and avoid all problems. Non-Jews are not acceptable as
>>witnesses and their word is insufficient.
>>    
>>
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