Shofar
Israel, 20th century
Ram horn
Gift of Pinchas Yehuda Rosenfeld
Must Know
The shofar, created from the horn of a ram or other kosher animals, was used in ancient Israel to announce the new moon as well as to call people together for communal meetings. It is sounded on Rosh Hashana to mark the beginning of the Jewish New Year and to signal a call to repentence. The shofar has played a central role in Jewish practice over the years. The shofar continues to be sounded during the month of Elul in spiritual preparation for the approaching New Year, during Rosh Hashana and at the end of Yom Kippur. This shofar was originally bought in Jerusalem by David Rosenfeld, a seventh generation Jerusalamite who emigrated to America in the 1920’s, during the time of the Nebi Musa riots . In 1990 his son Pinchas Yehuda made aliya, returning the family and the shofar to Jerusalem
