Riverside Workshop Teaches Families About Traditional Jewish Instrument

RIVERSIDE – After sawing and drilling, dozens of young children huffed and puffed and gave their best effort Sunday at making music from animal horns.

The shofar, a traditional Jewish instrument typically made from a ram’s horn, is blown in synagogues during the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

And on Sunday, children and parents alike crowded into the Chabad Jewish Community Center in Riverside to learn how to craft the ancient instruments.

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, starts at sunset Sept. 29, while Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, starts at sunset Oct. 8.

“The idea of this event is to give the community the opportunity to learn about the upcoming holiday,” said Rabbi Shmuel M. Fuss, the community center’s director.

“It is an opportunity to reflect on the previous year and plan for the upcoming year, that it should be a better year, a year of growth, a year of goodness and kindness.”

The shofar workshop is a hands-on way to help people learn about the two Jewish holidays, Fuss said.

“We blow it on this holiday to remind us of our responsibilities in this world,” he said. “Like a child that cries, the sound of the shofar has that same sound. We cry out to God that this be a good year.”

Led by Rabbi Avrami Rosenthal, a fast-talker originally from Brooklyn, young children learned the history and significance of the shofar. Then, they got their chance to make one.

They took a hand saw and cut off the end of the horn. From there, Rosenthal hollowed out the end with a drill, while a colleague sanded each one smooth. Soon, the odor of burnt horn — the same smell as if someone’s hair got singed — filled the room.

At the same time, squeals, shrills and finally the more mellow sound of a properly blown shofar sounded throughout the community center.

“We thought it would be great to learn how to make a shofar,” said Susan Gavigan, of Corona, who attended the workshop with her daughter, Lindsay, 10. “I have never done this. This is exciting.”

Ben Kohn, 47, of Riverside, sees the shofar at his temple and now knows how one is made. He came out Sunday with his 3-year-old son Eli.

“Just trying to get Eli some hands-on participation,” Kohn said. “It is kind of cool. A lot of work with the saw.”

Hannah Merkatz, 8, of Laguna Niguel, kept blowing into her shofar. With each try, the sound became stronger. Hard? “Sort of,” she said, cheeks red but with a bright smile.