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How to make a shofar for High Holidays

In honor of Jewish New Year, JN1 visits one of only three shofar factories in world to discover how kosher ram's horn is created

VIDEO – One of the most pinnacle points of the Jewish High Holidays is the blowing of the shofar, which happens no less than 100 times during Rosh Hashana alone. So Jewish News One went to the Golan Heights to one of only three shofar factories in the world to discover how a kosher shofar is created.

 

Video courtesy of jn1.tv

 

For Shimon Kaynan, the fascination with the shofar goes back to the time when as a child he tried to build one out of pipes, as he himself admits Kol Shofar, his Shofar factory, is his dream come true.

 

"We're the most modern factory that exists," he says. "We also opened it to the public, so they come from all over the world: Jewish and non-Jewish, orthodox and non-religious people, children and adults.

 

"I dreamed of this since my childhood and it became my life's work. I really took everything that I am and all my love to the profession and turned into a living. I even bring my children here into this business. Both Hanan and Nathaniel are working with me.

 

"We also employ schoolchildren from the eighth grade up to when they go to the army. We employ them during the holidays. We are marketing and distributing worldwide to the Evangelical crowd and to the Orthodox people here and abroad."

 

Being only one of three shofar factories in the world brings a whole lot of challenges when it comes to the machinery that make the shofar, as the owner's son Hanan, who works alongside his dad in the factory, explains to us.

 

"This factory is one of only three places in the world that manufactures shofars," he says. "The machines are made by us, we built it, you cannot buy it in the store. We design it and adjust it for our needs and use, and you can see the outcome.

 

"The horn, of course, you cannot buy in a store. We need to get to countries that have enough quantities of animals, and we use the horns just after the animal is used for their meat. We go to Muslim countries. There they eat a lot of sheep before their holidays and once a year we go there and we bring them in a container. Other horns, such as the kudu and the antelope and other exotic animals, come from Africa.

 

"This is a yearlong operation because manufacturing shofar takes a lot of time. We cannot sell so many pieces in such a short time, so we must prepare them throughout the year, all along the year. Now this time in the holidays it's the big selling and a lot of people come. We send all over the world: The Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, South America, North America – you name it."

 

We wanted to know from the two Kaynan brothers what the reaction of their friends was when they found out that they work in manufacturing shofarot.

 

"It's not common, it's very rare," says Nathaniel. "There's only us and maybe two or more, another manufacturer in Israel. So yeah, it's something that sounds new, strange or odd, or cool to many people."

 

"It’s always a good icebreaker to tell this," says Hanan. "I do my job with all my heart and I enjoy it."

 

So iIf you want to purchase a kosher shofar for the High Holidays you'll have to shell out anywhere between $60 to $600.

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 09.05.13, 07:58
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