COVID-19 has brought us many challenges. One of them relates to the coming High Holidays and the mitzvah of hearing the sound of the shofar. With social distancing and many people choosing to not gather in groups, this year it is likely that many people will observe the High Holidays through virtual services. As such, many will hear the sound of shofar through the Internet but not in person.
As I wrote a few weeks ago in Fed Friday, the Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando has partnered with many of our synagogues and Jewish agencies with the goal of making sure as many people as possible in Greater Orlando can hear the blast of the shofar in person.
Synagogues will be providing outdoor soundings of the shofar in order to ensure people can be socially distanced, safe, and hear the shofar sound in person. In addition, the Jewish Federation has 200 shofarot that will be distributed free to members of our community, allowing families to sound the shofar at home while they are privately observing the holiday. The Federation is also providing educational Zoom sessions to learn how to blow the shofar. Finally, the Federation is working to get volunteers to visit nursing homes and senior facilities to ensure residents there can also hear the sound of the shofar.
Click the button below to request your free shofar and/or to volunteer. The deadline to apply is Friday, July 31, and you will be notified the week of August 3 about your shofar. You will be able to pick up your shofar at either the Rosen JCC or The Roth Family JCC the week of August 10. We will provide instrucitonal programs via Zoom the week of August 17.
Thank you to our generous donors who made this project possible and special thanks to all of our partners listed below.