In front of Ahavas Chesed Synagogue in west Mobile, there is a 16-foot-long sculpture of a shofar — the ram’s horn blown in Biblical times like to herald the new moon or a jubilee year, among other ...

Early emerging cicadas singing their last song this September faced stiff competition from a different type of seasonal sound. Across Chicagoland, Jewish communities took to trails, parks and parking ...

CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio -- Sunday marked the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish holiday more commonly known as the Jewish New Year. The two-day holiday is also the start of the Jewish High Holy Days, ...

Trumpet player Bruce Shapiro is the ideal person to perform the Rosh Hashana ritual of blowing the shofar – an ancient musical instrument that marks the beginning of the new year. “The whole idea of ...

(RNS) — Jewish law requires that the shofar be heard in person. But with synagogues shuttered because of the coronavirus, many Jews are dusting off old ritual objects and taking online lessons so they ...

Merrick Fagan is a bass player and bartender, not a rabbi, but during the High Holy Days, he is entrusted with a sacred, God-ordained task. At Rosh Hashanah morning services, he blows a hollowed-out ...

(RNS) — When is the shofar service? What time are they blowing the shofar? These are the burning questions at most synagogues this time of year as Rosh Hashana approaches. The answers lead temple ...

For Janise Poticha, unable to be near her sister ill with COVID, the ritual became a symbol of life with biblical meaning. And she’s not sure when it will end. (JTA) — Rabbi Janise Poticha had been ...

When we comment on the physical rituals of our tradition, it’s usually to discuss what they symbolize. Whether it’s a mezuzah, tallit, succah, Kiddush cup, Hannukah candle or an elaborate Seder table, ...

Davi Cheng had some trepidation when she went to Hillel for the first time. She tried to feel comfortable, but she couldn’t understand the language of the services and the liturgical rituals were ...