Yoshon

Yoshon & Pas Yisroel Guidelines

Updated October 23, 2026

This page is dedicated in memory of Rav Yosef Herman הרב יוסף בן הרב יהושע זצ”ל, who is credited with singlehandedly raising awareness about yoshon in America and throughout chutz la’aretz and renewing the klal’s commitment to this precious mitzvah. He undertook the responsibility to conduct extensive research about yoshon products and to publish yoshon updates year after year without remuneration. May all of our work be an aliyah for his neshama.

STAR-K Resources

Every year, STAR-K publishes the Yoshon Quick Reference Guide and an up-to-date list of Baltimore establishments, which notes the Yoshon and Pas Yisroel status of their products. Both the Yoshon Quick Reference Guide and the local Baltimore establishment list are linked below.

To download the most current PDF of the Yoshon Quick Reference Guide, click HERE

To view a video discussing the 5785 yoshon season, click […]

Yoshon and Chodosh Something Old and Something New

By: Dr. Avrom Pollak

The story is told about how in the mid 1970’s the proprietor of a kosher bakery in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood was asked if his products were Yoshon. Not realizing that this Hebrew word, which literally means ‘old’, actually refers to grain which had been planted before Passover, proudly, albeit naively, answered, ” I can assure you that everything in my bakery is 100 percent fresh.” Today, as we approach the millennium yoshon and chodosh have graduated and become household words which have rightfully taken their place among the more popular terms such as Glatt Kosher, Cholov Yisroel, and Pas Yisroel.