Rosh Hashana Shofar in the Park Program Is Back this Sunday in 250 Locations
by David Israel | September 14, 2023
On the second day of Rosh Hashana, Sunday, September 17, the ninth annual Shofar in the Park program of the Ohr Torah Stone network will be taking place in more than 250 parks and other outdoor locations around Israel.
These events attract tens of thousands of Israelis who come to hear the traditional shofar blasts and participate in singing, storytelling, and other activities for children and adults.
“The power of the shofar is in its being a wordless prayer that can penetrate all our hearts, regardless of our form of observance, politics, or social standing,” said Rabbi Dr. Kenneth Brander, President and Rosh Yeshiva of Ohr Torah Stone (OTS). “It reminds us that no matter how we observe or dress, we are all searching for spiritual wholeness and a connection with our people and tradition. We wish that the shofar sounds shatter the barriers that deter us from standing together as one people.”
“Life takes us in many different directions, physically, spiritually, and practically,” said Shay Naveh, director of OTS’s Yachad Program. “The shofar provides us the opportunity to, for one moment, go back to basics. A moment we can be one family, regardless of our differences or the divergent paths that we have each chosen.”
The OTS Monique and Mordecai Katz Yachad Program works year-round in locations all across Israel to build strong communities based on Jewish heritage, empowering Israelis to connect to their roots and one another in a warm, non-coercive environment, with Judaism as a source of unity rather than division.
