Community in Focus

Riverdale children learn Jewish tradition through hands-on shofar workshop

Posted Friday, September 25, 2026 10:06 am

Rabbi Levi Shemtov demonstrated the different types of shofars, which must be made from the horn of a kosher animal to be used for holiday tradition. Antelope horns, like the one pictured, along with ram horns are the most commonly used.

Michelle Mullen photos

Kids crowded around a row of plastic tables piled with goat horns of varying sizes. Some children chose one quickly and moved on, while others stuck around to ponder which one caught their eye. Alongside them were tips of horns from already-prepared shofars, with children taking them home as souvenirs.

Adults first trimmed away the narrow, solid tip of each goat horn with a saw. Because the horn’s inner cavity does not extend all the way to the end, cutting off the tip exposed a point where the horn could then be drilled through to reach the hollow interior and create the shofar’s mouthpiece.

Children got a closer look as adults helped saw through the end of each goat horn, the first step in creating an opening that would eventually become the shofar’s mouthpiece. Four-year-old Tuvi Tannor Weiss, center, was joined by his sister, Chaya Tannor Weiss, and his father, Shlomo Tannor. It was the first shofar-making experience for all three of them.

After the tip was removed, a straightened wire hanger was inserted into the horn to measure where the hollow section ended and the solid part began. That measurement showed how far workers needed to drill from the cut tip to reach the hollow interior and create an airway. For the many fathers helping their children with the drilling, it was what one described as a tiring task, but one well worth it.

After drilling, with the opening complete, families sanded the horn to smooth its rough exterior and edges, gradually giving their shofars a more polished finish. It was a trial-and-error process for many, involving assistance from Shemtov for quality control. Riverdale resident Haggai Resnikoff, pictured with his 8-year-old son Nisan Ber Resnikoff, kept a close eye on the process.

The final step was a coat of oil rubbed into the finished horns, bringing out their natural color and shine after the cutting, drilling and sanding were complete.

Tannor, pictured, explained that sounding a shofar takes more than simply blowing into it. Instead, the player presses pursed lips against the mouthpiece and buzzes them together, creating vibrations that travel through the horn and produce the shofar’s distinctive call.

by Michelle Mullen

From tots to teens, children of all ages lined up on the patio of the Riverdale Y, at 5625 Arlington Ave., eager for a rare opportunity to carve their own shofars. The ancient ritual instrument is traditionally sounded during the Jewish New Year, called Rosh Hashana, and the High Holidays that follow.

Made of hollowed animal horn, the shofar’s distinctive sound echoes through these Jewish religious observances. At the Sept. 15 “Shofar for Kids” event, Chabad Lubavitch of Riverdale, located at 535 W. 246th St., provided dozens of goat horns for children to turn into shofars.

The synagogue’s co-founder, Rabbi Levi Shemtov, explained that the instrument is traditionally made of a ram’s horn, pointing to it as a reminder of the biblical story of Abraham, who agreed to sacrifice his son Isaac at God’s command. As Abraham prepared for the act, an angel intervened, and a ram caught by its horns in a nearby thicket appeared and was offered instead.

“On Rosh Hashana you can have any kosher shofar, but we prefer to have one that’s of a ram to remind us of the tremendous dedication that Abraham and Isaac had to God, and that a ram was used instead of Isaac,” Shemtov said.

For a shofar to be “kosher,” he said, the horn must be that of a kosher animal — one that has split hooves and chews its cud — and cannot bear any cracks or holes.

“Shofar for Kids” is just one of the ways the Riverdale Y marks Jewish milestones each year, offering a range of family-friendly celebrations that introduce families to holiday practices and traditions. This winter, the center will host a Hanukkah olive-oil and menorah-making workshop. It will also host a Passover matzah-making event next year.

The Sept. 15 event was just as much about education and building community as it was about celebration, said the Y’s director of community engagement, Rabbi Scott Kalmikoff.

“It doesn’t matter what your religious background is, you don’t have to be Jewish to come,” Kalmikoff said. “Everybody is welcome.”

Keywords

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