The Shofar’s Blast Beyond the Synagogue

On a Rosh Hashanah morning in 2011, a curious crowd gathered by the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park. When the blast of the shofar cut through the sounds of the city, joggers stopped mid-stride. Parents lifted their children onto their shoulders. All ears turned toward a sound that has echoed through synagogues for centuries — now ringing out in the open air. 

That sound is at the center of “Shofar in the Park,” the brainchild of Rabbi Yisrael and Chanchy Kugel of the Chabad Young Professionals of the Upper West Side. Today, the event draws a crowd of nearly 1,200 people to Central Park — ranging from families to celebrities, passersby, and anyone looking to connect with the sound and spirit of Rosh Hashanah right in the heart of the city. The annual event features a professional Shofar-blower, “Master Blaster” Haim Avitsur — the esteemed trombonist who performed the first ever trombone/Shofar concerto. Around the bandshell area, tables piled high with apples and honey offer a sweet new year for all who attend. 

At the heart of this gathering is the shofar itself — a ram’s horn sounded during Rosh Hashanah services. Hearing the shofar is the central tenet of the holiday, and its blasts serve as a spiritual wake-up call, encouraging introspection and repentance.

The emphasis on making shofar accessible goes back to 1978, when the Lubavitcher Rebbe introduced an initiative to bring the mitzvah of shofar to the streets so that Jews who had not attended services would get to hear the Shofar. The campaign, known as “Mivtza Shofar,” now reaches tens of thousands of Jews over the course of Rosh Hashanah each year.​​

This outreach is especially vital in light of broader trends. According to a 2021 Pew Research Center study, 27% of American Jews attend synagogue a few times a year — typically on the High Holidays — while half of the Jews in the U.S. seldom or never attend services. For many, the opportunity to connect to their heritage and tradition outside the synagogue is the only one they’ll have.

It’s in this context that “Shofar in the Park” has taken root and spread. From where it started on the banks of the Hudson, the idea of hosting public gatherings for Shofar-blowing has caught on worldwide. Chabad centers and other Jewish congregations now host outdoor shofar events that draw those who might not otherwise attend Rosh Hashanah services.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the unique value of these open-air gatherings. “That year, we had over fifty people join each day,” said Rabbi Moshe Adler of Chabad of Battersea. He has hosted Shofar in the Park events for eight years, bringing together Jews from South London who live far from any established Jewish community. “During the pandemic, people were trying to get out of the house and do something meaningful. Shofar in the Park allows people to engage with the holiday in a tangible way, even outside the synagogue walls.” 

For many, the experience is as much about community as it is about ritual. Families with young children can hear the shofar up close, sing songs together, and dip apples into honey — a hands-on way to connect with the holiday. “It’s a family event. People bring their children — it’s a great way to involve the next generation,” said Rabbi Shneur Itzinger of Chabad of the Falls. Their version of Shofar in the Park is dubbed “Shofar at the Falls,” located in the center of town in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, at a picturesque park with a gently-flowing waterfall. “It was the first program we did when we opened Chabad here four years ago — we hung up signs around town inviting people to come. Many were surprised to see so many Jews from the area — it was an eye-opener for the community. Now it’s one of our biggest events, with over one hundred fifty people coming each year.”

Shofar in the Park takes place — rain or shine. “One year, someone came to the event during a downpour — it was his first Jewish experience,” said Rabbi Adler. “Now, we’ve become very close and he attends Chabad regularly.” He believes Shofar in the Park has found success worldwide because it is both easy to join yet timeless in its significance. “You can call it an ‘entry-level’ Jewish experience that everyone can participate in,” he said.

From Central Park to the Midwest; from Italy to Israel, Shofar in the Park has become more than just a Rosh Hashanah event — it’s grown into a tradition that makes the Shofar — and the holiday — accessible to Jews everywhere.