The first thing you need to know about making a shofar is that it smells terrible. Really god-awful. If you’ve ever picked up a shofar at a Judaica store or even one that’s been sitting in a synagogue cabinet for 20 years, you might have noticed the formidable scent that stings the nostrils not always in a good way. The reason behind the mysterious musk is that shofars are made with real bits of kosher animals. Many of the potential horns arriving at the workshop are blemished and must be discarded before processing can even begin. They’ve done studies, you know. 60% of the time, it works every time.
The shofar market is not a seasonal business and certainly not limited to Jews. Practitioners of Islam and Christianity indirectly contribute towards building and maintaining economies of scale for the Jewish community to purchase their shofars at a reasonable price come Elul.
The majority of horns emerge from the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha which commemorates the binding of Abraham’s son which ends with a ram serving as the substitute sacrifice. As part of the festival, Muslims throughout the world slaughter mobs of rams. Using a nose-to-tail approach, the horns are then harvested in Muslim-majority countries like Algeria that don’t recognize Israel and sold by the containerload arriving in Haifa Port presumably through a series of middlemen who also deal in beeper and walkie-talkie sales.
Once Israel’s shofar factories receive the horns, master craftsmen get to work drying them, removing bone and hollowing out the inside. The not-yet-shofars are then sterilized, straightened and mouth pieces made. The final step, like a luthier after putting the finishing touches on a guitar, is playing the instrument to adjust the sound.
If all of these shofars would only end up in synagogues and Jewish homes, the prices would be cost-prohibitive. We’re just too small a market. Thankfully, Evangelical Christians help out by purchasing the bulk of shofars produced each year. Inspired by the Biblical Joshua’s rousing of the people with loud blasts outside the walls of Jericho, contemporary Pentecostal and Charismatic communities adopted the shofar into the worship service. Jewish or Gentile, one can’t help but be affected by the spiritual resonance of this ancient instrument.
Please join us for High Holidays at the JCC 5785 where you’ll get 200 Rosh Hashana shofar blasts and a big Tekia Gedola finale after Neilah on Yom Kippur. No longer relying on the ease of faxing Excel spreadsheets, our sign up process is now fully digital. Registration on our High Holiday page: https://jccjapan.jp/high-holidays-2024/
Services
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, September 20th
6:00pm Services
7:00pm Dinner by reservation
Shabbat Parshat Ki Tavo
Kiddush sponsored by the Flitter Family in honor of welcoming back our Rabbi, Rebbetzin, Asher and Akiva back to Tokyo
Saturday, September 21st
10:00am Services
12:00pm Kiddush
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, September 27th
6:00pm Services
7:00pm Dinner by reservation
High Holiday Service Schedule: https://jccjapan.jp/high-holidays-2024/
Friday Night Dinner Reservations: https://jccjapan.jp/shabbat-meals-sign-up/
Events
Unlock Your Inner Self: Enneagram Personality Workshop
Sunday, September 29th 12:30pm-5:30pm
Dream Apart Jewish Role Playing Game
Sunday, October 13th 1:45pm-5:45pm
Book talk with Eva Izhak Niimura
Friday, Oct 18th 8pm
Silent Tears – The Last Yiddish Tango (live performance)
Sunday, December 8th Time TBD
Event Registration Page: https://jccjapan.jp/event-registration/
If you have an idea for an event or a topic you would like to share with others, please visit our website: https://jccjapan.jp/event-committee-inquiry/
Announcements
Save the date (10/9) for Coffee and Kvetch! Feeling like you need a little boost to make it through the week? Join us for a much-needed **Jewish Parents Coffee** on **October 9th at 10 AM at Hiroo Towers**! It’s your chance to relax, recharge, and bond with other parents of Jewish kids navigating life in Japan, from **elementary school adventures** to **high school drama**. We’ll provide the coffee (and maybe a bagel or two), you provide the stories and good spirits. Please RSVP to Blair at bperilman@gmail.com
Tokyo was selected as the host city for this year’s BBYO Convention of Jewish Teens in Asia. Building off the success of the chapter’s inaugural laser tag event, our teens and their parents are planning a jam-packed itinerary for participants from Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei. If you would like to register, help out, contribute or learn more please reply to this email.
Yiddish Club with Jack Halpern: Please contact Jack at jack@cjki.org if you are interested to join. All levels are welcome, from beginner to advanced. Much more than just language, the club’s monthly meetings explore Yiddish culture as well.
Shabbat Ki Tavo
Candle Lighting: 5:23pm
Havdala: 6:17pm