Children craft instruments for Jewish holiday

The hiss of a saw, the buzz of a drill and the laughter of children filled the Chabad Lubavitch Center on Sunday afternoon.

The occasion? A chance for children to learn more about their Jewish faith by making their own shofar, a horn blown for Rosh Hashana, which begins at sundown Oct. 3.

“I think sometimes in order to understand faith and God, you have to have hands-on experience,” said Haleh Resnick, 33, a Cherry Hill mother who helped her four children make the ceremonial instruments. “When you’re making the shofar, you have the hands-on experience hopefully your heart will catch up with.”

The instrument is generally made with a ram’s horn, Rabbi Yitzchok Kahan said.

The horn must be boiled so the marrow can be removed , hollowing it.

The point is sawed off, then a hole is drilled and widened large enough for someone to blow into.

Played by pressing the lips against the horn, the instrument’s blast represents the cry of a child asking a parent for forgiveness for past sins and a good new year, Kahan said.

After giving a lecture Sunday about the meaning of the horn, Kahan sent the families to work stations where they made their own.

Having the children active in the process was critical, so parents allowed even the youngest to have their hands on saws.

When the shofar was done, the children played the first tentative notes.

“It’s a very inspirational thing to see the parents with the children to help them carry on with this tradition,” Kahan said.

The event was meaningful for more than just the children, however.

Marv Prowisor, also of Cherry Hill, took his two grown sons, Jesse and Josh, and their children, Mia and Lea, both 3.

“It’s a family connection,” Prowisor said. “It’s a memory for the kids, for the parent and for the grandparent.”