In preparation for the Jewish New Year, Harvest Park Middle School was transformed into the Tri-Valley¥s first “Shofar Factory.” Participants learned how the Shofar, a semi-musical ram’s horn, is made and played. The horn is used on Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, which begins on the evening of Sept. 22. Historically, the sounds of the Shofar serve as a wake-up call for all to make amends for wrongdoings and to formulate New Year’s resolutions.
The “Factory” was a project of Chabad of the Tri-Valley, a Jewish Community Center based in Pleasanton. “The Shofar is something we want to make available to everyone in the community,” explains Rabbi Raleigh Resnick, Chabad of the Tri-Valley’s director. “We [brought] this hands-on experience to the community to make the Shofar, the Holiday and its message something even children can experience and relate to; allowing Judaism to come alive for everyone.”
On Rosh Hashana, Rabbi Resnick plans on visiting hospitals, nursing homes and correctional facilities to bring the sound of the Shofar to people who might otherwise be able to hear it.
The Shofar will actually be blown at 11 a.m., Sun., Sept. 24 at the CarrAmerica Conference Center in Pleasanton. More information can be obtained at: www.JewishTriValley.com.
