This year Rosh Hashana Begins Wednesday night October 2, 2024 (6:21 pm Philadelphia
time) – ends Friday October 4 after nightfall. This year, Shabath follows the first 2 days of Rosh Hashana. This 3day Holiday ends on Saturday, October 5 after Nightfall.
For more information on Rosh Hashanah go to:
Rosh Hashanah 2024 – The Jewish New Year – Chabad.org and
Rosh Hashanah – Jewish New Year | Aish
(This Document contains G-d’s Name, therefore it may NOT be thrown out)
Before the 3-day Holiday:
Normally, it is forbidden to prepare food on a Holiday (Yom Tov) for use the next day. However, when Yom Tov falls out on Friday, one may prepare for Shabbat if he symbolically began the preparations before Yom Tov. This symbolic preparation is known as an eiruv tavshilin.
Every household must set aside one baked and one cooked item; usually an egg and a matzah/challah are used. The blessing of “al mitzvat eiruv” is recited and the items are held in the hand while saying the prescribed formula. One who forgot to prepare an eiruv tavshilin may still prepare for Shabbat if he lives in a city in which other Jews prepared them.
While standing, and holding the food in the right hand, say:
Baruch ata Ado-noi Elo-heinu melech ha-olam, Asher kid-shanu bi-mitzvo-tav, Vi-tzee-vanu al mitzvat eiruv.
Blessed are You, the Lord our God, King of the universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us in the mitzvah of eiruv.
Important to note: There is a Mitzvah to listen to the blowing of the Shofar during the day on Thursday, October 3rd and Friday, October 4th.
When you hear the Shofar blowing, remember- This is the Birthday of the World and we Coronate the King.
1.
Lighting of the Candles
Women (or if there isn’t a woman in the house, the head of the household), light candles. Light a 24 hour candle before the holiday begins and light second night, October3rd, from the existing candle. In addition, light another 24-hour candle to be able to light Shabbath candles from it.
For exact times please visit:
http://www.chabad.org/calendar/zmanim_cdo/aid/143790/jewish/Halachic-Times-Zmanim.htm
Blessings for the evenings October 2nd (6:22 pm Philadelphia time) and October 3rd (after 7:19 pm Philadelphia Time)
Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu me-lech ha-olamasher ki-deshanu be-mitzvo–tavve-tzvi-vanu le-hadliknershel Yom Tov
1. Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us to light the candle of nd the Holiday.
2. Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu me-lech ha-olam she-heche-ya-nu ve-ki-yi-ma-nu ve-higi-a-nu liz-man ha-zeh.
Blessed are You, L-ord our G-d, King of the universe, who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this occasion.
[Note: When reciting the following blessing on the second night of the holiday, one should have in mind the new fruit which one will subsequently be eating after Kiddush.]
For the Saturday Evening, October 4 (at 6:19 pm Philadelphia time):
Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu me-lech ha-olam asher ki-deshanu be-mitzvo-tav ve-tzvi-vanu le-hadlik ner shel Shabat Kodesh
Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and has commanded us to light the candle of Holy Shabbath.
2.
Evening Kiddush for Both Nights Rosh Hashanah
Kiddush is recited while holding a cup of kosher wine or grape juice. (Challah should be on the table – covered)
Attention! our masters and our teachers:
Blessed are You, Ado-noy our God, King of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
Blessed are You, Ado-noy our God, King of the Universe, Who chose us from among all people, and exalted us above all languages, and sanctified us with His commandments. And [You] gave us Ado-noy, our God, in love [On Shabbos September 15th, add: this Shabbos day, and] this day of Remembrance a day for a day of holy assembly commemorating the exodus from Mitzrayim. For us have You chosen and us have You sanctified from among all peoples; and Your word is true and enduring forever Blessed are You Ado-noy, King over all the earth, Sanctifier of Yisrael and the Day of Remembrance.
Blessed are You, Ado-noy, our God, King of the Universe Who has kept us alive and sustained us and brought us to this season.
SECOND NIGHT ONLY (evening of October 3rd) -New Fruit
On the second night of Rosh Hashanah, a “new fruit,” i.e., a seasonal fruit which we have not yet tasted since its season began, should be present on the table when the holiday candles are kindled and during the kiddush. While reciting the Shehecheyanu blessing after candle-lighting and after the kiddush, one should have the new fruit in mind.
This fruit is eaten following the kiddush, before washing for bread. Before partaking of the fruit we say the following blessing:
Ba-ruch a-tah Ado-nai E-lo-hei-nu me-lech ha-olam bore pri ha-etz.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who creates the fruit of the tree.
3– ROUND Challah in Honey
Immediately following the kiddush (and on the second night, the eating of the new fruit), we perform the ritual washing for bread. Fill a large cup with water. Pass the cup to your left hand and pour three times over your right hand. Repeat by pouring on your left hand. As you wipe your hands recite the blessing:
Baruch atah A-donoy, Elo-heinu Melech Ha’Olam, asher kidshanu bemitzvotav vetzivanu al netilat yadayim.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G‑d, King of the universe, who sanctified with His Mitzvahs and commanded us on washing our hands.
When everyone has returned to the table, we raise the two challah loaves and recite the blessing:
Ba-ruch atah A-do-nay, E-lo-hei-nu Melech Ha-Olam, hamotzie le-chem min ha-are-tz.
[Blessed are You, L-rd, our G‑d, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.]
Cut the Challah, dip it in honey, and have a bite. Pass around pieces and make sure everyone does the same.
Apples and Honey
During Rosh Hashanah, it is traditional to eat apples dipped in honey, to symbolize our hopes for a “sweet” new year. The apple is dipped in honey, the blessing for eating tree fruits is recited, the apple is tasted, and then the apples and honey prayer is recited.
(If you already ate a new fruit or made a blessing on it, we do not say this blessing).
Barukh atah Ad-onai, El-oheinu, melekh ha’olam borei p’ri ha’eitz.
Blessed are you, L-rd, our G-d, king of the universe who creates the fruit of the tree. (Everyone says Amen)
Take a bite from the apple dipped in honey, then continue with the following:
y’hi ratzon mil’fanekha Adonai el-oheinu vei’-lohei avoteinu sh’t’chadeish aleinu shanah tovah um’tukah
May it be Your will, L-rd our G-d and God of our ancestors that you renew for us a good and sweet year.
5: Symbolic Foods
A head of a fish is served. We say “May it be your will Eternal God that we should be at the head and not at the tail”. Not only are we hoping to be the leaders in our lives, but also the head is a symbol of conscious living.
A pomegranate is eaten, symbolizing our wish to have a year full of mitzvot and good deeds. We say “May it be your will Eternal God that our year is filled with good deeds as a pomegranate is filled with luscious seeds”.
There is a custom to eat fish on Rosh Hashana. Fish multiply in great number. They never sleep. They swim in water. We hope the year will be one of plenty, just as fish are extremely fruitful. Just as fish never sleep, we hope to maintain a constant awareness of our mission in life. Since fish are underwater the evil eye cannot penetrate the depths, and we wish to be free of any negative wishes.
We also eat Leeks or Cabbage. These vegetables are known as karsi, related to the word karet, to cut off or destroy. As we eat it we say “May it be your will Eternal God that our enemies will be destroyed.”.
Beets are known as “silka,” related to the word “siluk,” meaning removal. The adversaries referred to in the prayer before eating the beet are the spiritual roadblocks created by the past year’s missteps that must be removed before a sweet New Year is granted. We say “May it be your will Eternal God that our adversaries will be removed.”
Dates are known as “tamri” is related to the word “tamri,” meaning consume or finish. This food is similar to the beets and leeks in that it is eaten with the intent that all enemies will end their detrimental wrath. We say “ May it be your will Eternal God that our enemies will be finished.
Throughout the meal, it is customary to also eat foods whose names in the vernacular allude to blessing and prosperity. For example, many have the custom of eating carrots because in Yiddish the word for carrots, meren, means to multiply.
6: Rosh Hashanah Cuisine
On Rosh Hashanah it is customary not to eat foods which are sour or tart (the gefilte fish will have to do without the horseradish…). Instead, the focus is on sweet foods, symbolizing our desire to have a sweet year, blessings and abundance. It is also customary not to eat nuts on Rosh Hashanah, as the numerical value of the Hebrew word for nuts (“egoz“) is the same as the Hebrew word for sin (“chet“).
7: Blessing After Meal
Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, who, in His goodness, provides sustenance for the entire world with grace, with kindness, and with mercy. He gives food to all flesh, for His kindness is everlasting. Through His great goodness to us continuously we do not lack [food], and may we never lack food, for the sake of His great Name. For He, benevolent G-d, provides nourishment and sustenance for all, does good to all, and prepares food for all His creatures whom He has created, as it is said: You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. Blessed are You, L-rd, who provides food for all.
We offer thanks to You, L-rd our G-d, for having given as a heritage to our ancestors a precious, good and spacious land; for having brought us out, L-rd our G-d, from the land of Egypt, and redeemed us from the house of bondage; for Your covenant which You have sealed in our flesh; for Your Torah which You have taught us; for Your statutes which You have made known to us; for the life, favor, and kindness which You have graciously bestowed upon us; and for the food we eat with which You constantly nourish and sustain us every day, at all times, and at every hour.
For all this, L-rd our G-d, we give thanks to You and bless You. May Your Name be blessed by the mouth of every living being, constantly and forever, as it is written: When you have eaten and are satiated, you shall bless the L-rd your G-d for the good land which He has given you. Blessed are You, L-rd, for the land and for the sustenance.
Have mercy, L-rd our G-d, upon Israel Your people, upon Jerusalem Your city, upon Zion the abode of Your glory, upon the kingship of the house of David Your anointed, and upon the great and holy House over which Your Name was proclaimed. Our G-d, our Father, our Shepherd, nourish us, sustain us, feed us, and provide us with plenty; and speedily, L-rd our G-d, grant us relief from all our afflictions. L-rd our G-d, please do not make us dependent upon the gifts of mortal men nor upon their loans, but only upon Your full, open, holy, and generous hand, that we may never be shamed or disgraced.
On Shabbat: May it please You, L-rd our G-d, to strengthen us through Your mitzvot, and through the mitzvah of the Seventh Day, this great and holy Shabbat. For this day is great and holy before You, to refrain from work and to rest thereon with love, in accordance with the commandment of Your will. In Your good will, L-rd our G-d, bestow upon us tranquility, that there shall be no distress, sadness, or sorrow on the day of our rest. L-rd our G-d, let us see the consolation of Zion Your city, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem Your holy city, for You are the Master of deliverance and the Master of consolation. As the leader recites aloud the words Remember…for good life in the following paragraph, the others respond Amen as indicated. Our G-d and G-d of our fat
As the leader recites aloud the words Remember…for good life in the following paragraph, the others respond Amen as indicated.
Our G-d and G-d of our fathers, may there ascend, come, and reach; be seen, accepted, and heard; recalled and remembered before You the remembrance and recollection of us, the remembrance of our fathers, the remembrance of Mashiach the son of David Your servant, the remembrance of Jerusalem Your holy city, and the remembrance of all Your people the House of Israel, for deliverance, well-being, grace, kindness, mercy, good life, and peace, on this day of the festival of Remembrance. Remember us on this [day], L-rd our G-d, for good (Amen); be mindful of us on this [day] for blessing (Amen); help us on this [day] for good life (Amen). With the promise of deliverance and compassion, spare us and be gracious to us, and have mercy upon us and deliver us, for our eyes are directed to You; for You, G-d, are a gracious and merciful King. And rebuild Jerusalem the holy city speedily in our days. Blessed are You, L-rd, who in His mercy rebuilds Jerusalem. Amen.
Blessed are You, L-rd our G-d, King of the universe, benevolent G-d, our Father, our King, our Strength, our Creator, our Redeemer, our Maker, our Holy One, the Holy One of Jacob, our Shepherd, the Shepherd of Israel, the King who is good and does good to all, each and every day. He has done good for us, He does good for us, and He will do good for us; He has bestowed, He bestows, and He will forever bestow upon us grace, kindness, and mercy; relief, salvation and success; blessing and deliverance; consolation, livelihood and sustenance; compassion, life, peace, and all goodness; and may He never cause us to lack any good. May the Merciful One reign over us forever and ever. May the Merciful One be blessed in heaven and on earth. May the Merciful One be praised for all generations, and pride Himself in us forever and to all eternity, and glorify Himself in us forever and ever. May the Merciful One provide our livelihood with honor.
May the Merciful One break the yoke of exile from our neck, and may He lead us upright to our land. May the Merciful One send abundant blessing into this house and upon this table at which we have eaten. May the Merciful One send us Elijah the prophet—may he be remembered for good—and let him bring us good tidings, deliverance, and consolation. May the Merciful One bless my father, my teacher, the master of this house, and my mother, my teacher, the mistress of this house; them, their household, their children, and all that is theirs; us, and all that is ours. Just as He blessed our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, “in all things,” “by all things,” with “all things,” so may He bless all of us together (the children of the Covenant) with a perfect blessing, and let us say, Amen. From heaven, may there be invoked upon him and upon us such merit as will bring enduring peace. May we receive blessing from the L-rd and kindness from G-d our deliverer, and may we find grace and good understanding in the eyes of G-d and man.
On Shabbat: May the Merciful One let us inherit that day which will be all Shabbat and rest for life everlasting.
May the Merciful One renew for us this year for good and for blessing.
May the Merciful One let us inherit that day which is all good. May the Merciful One grant us the privilege of reaching the days of the Mashiach and the life of the World to Come. He is a tower of deliverance to His king, and bestows kindness upon His anointed, to David and his descendants forever. He who makes peace in His heavens, may He make peace for us and for all Israel; and say, Amen.
Fear the L-rd, you His holy ones, for those who fear Him suffer no want. Young lions are in need and go hungry, but those who seek the L-rd shall not lack any good. Give thanks to the L-rd for He is good, for His kindness is everlasting. You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. Blessed is the man who trusts in the L-rd, and the L-rd will be his security.
I was youth and also have aged, and I have not seen a righteous man forsaken, with his children begging for bread. Hashem will give might to His people; Hashem will bless His people with peace.
THE END OF THE OFFICIAL ROSH HASHANA DINNER. FOLLOW THE SAME STEPS BOTH NIGHTS
FAST OF GEDALIAH – Sunday, October 6, 2024
Fast begins at 5:49 AM and ends at 7:14 PM (Philadelphia Time)
This is a public Fast Day on which we commemorate the murder of Gedaliah ben Achikam, the governor appointed by the Babylonian king as ruler of the Jews in Israel.
The days between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are called the Ten Days of Repentance. During these ten days, it is appropriate to do as many good deeds as possible. The Zodiac sign of this month of Tishrei is a pair of scales. Every Jew must look at these scales as though they are balanced and attempt to tip them in his favor through acts of loving kindness.
My Russian Video is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBPJEVVB3I8
Mystical Observances to Bring More Joy to a New Year
By Rebbitzin Yamima Mizrachi
• It’s vital not to get angry on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. Don’t get stuck in worry, anger and definitely not in sadness. The way the year begins, is the way it will flow the coming year. Don’t allow yourself to speak badly.
• Before sitting down at the table look at everyone’s eyes and bless them each individually, feel forgiveness for everyone around you. Allow love and peace to enter your heart. Everyone should say a ‘L’Chaim’ out loud and bless each other with complete joy.
• The Rosh Hashanah the table should be filled with an abundance of colors, different types of foods.
• Apples & Honey: Use red apples, it is for an omen to find one’s soul mate/and for peace between spouses and for getting pregnant. It is an special holy time, before eating the apple, smell the apple and ask for whatever you want. It was at this time that Yakov received the blessing from his father Yitzchak. When he smelled Yakov he smelled the fragrance of Garden of Eden, of the apple, and even though he was undeserving of the blessing, due to the fact that it was supposed to go to his evil brother Esav, he still received it. Ask for anything you wish.
• Pomegranate: Ask G-d to bring out your potential. We all have never ending potential, do we use it all? Ask Almighty for help. Just like it’s hard to take apart the seeds, please G-d help us realize our potential and be who we are meant to be.
• Leeks, Beets, Dates: Ask G-d to take away any feelings of resentment, anger, bitterness towards anyone. Ask Hashem to help us throw these feelings away from ourselves and remove them from our heart. Ask to enable you to be able to rebuild your feelings and relationship with these people.
• Fish Head: Ask G-d that you should lead your household and not anyone else (like our children who tend to control us…) when looking at the fish, ask Hashem to protect you from the evil eye.
• Get up early on Rosh Hashanah; this blesses the coming year with ease. A year that your wishes will be fulfilled quickly. Try to postpone your afternoon rest until after 1:00 PM.
• Very important to dress festively, even wear white and be HAPPY‼️
• Before hearing the shofar accept upon yourself to love your neighbor as you love yourself. If you hold a grudge towards someone, the shofar will not be able to ascend and sweeten the judgments.
• Very important to shed a tear during the shofar and to wipe the tear over your forehead (to wipe away transgressions). This serves as a shield for the entire year against any bad things i.e. illness. Whoever is able to shed a tear then can be rest assured that she is being judged at that moment!
• Don’t eat anything sour or spicy on Rosh Hashanah, only sweet foods. Everything that you do makes an impact on the entire year. Don’t use walnuts or black grapes.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – -other suggestions:
1) Prepare table early in the afternoon, it is an omen that no troubles will come upon you the entire year.
2) Try not to speak idle talk, the morning of Rosh Hashanah. This way 1/3 of your transgressions will be wiped away.
3) Candles for Rosh Hashanah: before lighting give 18 of ‘something (coins, bills) to charity box: 18 cents, 18 dollars, etc. This serves as an atonement. Ask Hashem that if something bad is supposed to happen, let this charity stand as a protector against it.
4) Buy a new knife and use it on Rosh Hashanah eve to cut open the Challah and apple. It is an omen for a long life and for financial success.
5) Prayer after Meal: Say it with enthusiasm and joy, it is a good luck for financial abundance
6) Recite the Tehilim (Psalms of David) specifically Psalms 1-4 before sleeping on both nights to prevent bad dreams.
7) Buy a new dress/clothing for Rosh Hashanah.
INSPIRATIONAL STORIES FOR ROSH HASHANA
I served in the Israeli Navy in a submarine. Under the water, the means of communication is with the Morse code. (Morse code is a signal system comprised of sounds. Two sharp beeps represents one letter, two long beeps is another letter. One long beep and one short one is a third letter, and so on.) I was an expert in the Morse code. I could send and decipher messages very quickly. “A couple of years after serving in the navy (and after spending a long time in India) I saw an advertisement: The army was looking for a Morse code expert to be in charge of several submarines. To apply for the job, we had to be at a certain office between 10:00 and 12:00 in the morning. I arrived at 11:50. I saw a packed room with applicants, but no one was being called inside. There was music was playing in the background and I sat down for a few moments, and listened. Then I got up, brazenly opened the door to the office and said, ‘I came for the interview.” “There are many people waiting in line ahead of you,” the secretary said. “And you just came. Wait your turn.” “But I didn’t listen to her. I walked into the room and talked with the person who was in charge. After speaking for a few moments, I was hired for the job.” The interviewer went out to the waiting room and told everyone that they can go home. “Thank you all for coming and I’m sorry about the delay. We’ve already chosen someone. You can all go home.” “It isn’t fair. This man came in last. Why did you interview him before us?” “Did you pay attention to the music that’s playing? Listen carefully. Don’t you get it? It is in Morse code and it’s saying, ‘If you’ve come for the interview, just open the door and come inside.’ This man heard the message. You didn’t hear, so you’re obviously not fluent enough in the language.” That’s how the irreligious man in the hospital understood the meaning of shofar (and we’re sharing it here because his interpretation is beautiful and true). The shofar is speaking a language. It’s telling us, “Just open the door and come inside. Change your ways and improve your connection with G-d.” We only need to understand the language of the shofar and understand what it’s telling us. One person waiting in the waiting room said, “I actually heard the Morse code in the music, but I decided not to open the door because I saw that no one else was.” “That’s not a valid excuse,” the interviewer told him. “If you heard the message, you should have come in. Why do you care what other people are doing?” Similarly, concerning the shofar, it will be inexcusable to say, “I heard the shofar’s message, I understood that it was calling me, but I decided not to since I don’t see other people repenting.” That’s not a valid excuse. If you understand the shofar’s message, you should open the door and come close to Almighty God, regardless of what others are doing.
The Shofar of Auschwitz
by Dr. Yvette Alt Miller
In a Nazi labor camp, Jewish prisoners blew the shofar on Rosh Hashanah.
Rosh Hashanah, 1944: A group of ragged Jewish prisoners assembled for yet another exhausting work detail. All around, Jews were starved, tortured and murdered. The slightest expression of Jewish faith was strictly forbidden, grounds for execution by Nazi guards.
Yet on that Rosh Hashanah, a group of courageous Jews managed to pray with a minyan. Miraculously, they even managed to blow a shofar and evade detection. Prof. Judy Tydor Schwartz, the Director of Holocaust research at Bar Ilan University in Israel, is the daughter of the man who facilitated that astounding feat. In an Aish.com exclusive interview, she described her remarkable father, Chaskel Tydor, and his shofar.
When World War II broke out, Chaskel was 36 and living in Frankfurt with his wife Bertha and young children. They managed to send a son and daughter to relative safety in Belgium on the Kindertransport, a scheme that allowed Jewish children to escape Nazi Germany in 1939. Later that year Chaskel was arrested and sent to Buchenwald concentration camp; in 1942 he was sent to a forced labor camp near Auschwitz. There, he learned that Bertha and other relatives had been murdered in Auschwitz.
Though he briefly succumbed to despair, Chaskel soon found meaning in helping others. “He had done all he could so save lives and help as many as he could retain their spirits and religious beliefs,” Prof. Tydor Schwartz said. “He sent friends mishloach manot (gifts of food) on Purim when it meant he went without food to do so. He secretly lit Chanukah candles. He taught Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) secretly in Buchenwald and later in Auschwitz.”
Chaskel was named block secretary and work arranging labor details for his fellow Jews. He used that position to help others, sending groups of prisoners to far away sites where they could pray together as a group. On Rosh Hashanah in 1944, he scheduled a group of over ten Jewish prisoners to work in a remote location. It was understood that they would pray at least part of the Rosh Hashanah service.
When the men returned, they told Chaskel an astonishing secret: one of them had managed to smuggle a shofar into their work detail and they’d listened to its blasts. The thought that Jews had managed to fulfill the mitzvah of blowing a shofar, which is meant to rouse us out of spiritual slumber with its piercing sound, seemed to almost defy belief. Yet the men had done it, hearing the Rosh Hashanah shofar in the very shadow of Auschwitz’s crematoria.
Prof. Tydor Schwartz hypothesizes that the shofar might have been smuggled into the camp after mid-1944, when 440,000 Hungarian Jews were deported to Auschwitz. Their belongings were warehoused in a vast area known by the nickname “Canada” and some Jewish prisoners succeeded in smuggling objects from there into Auschwitz.
In her research, Prof. Tydor Schwartz has come across many other stories of Jews defying Nazi guards and performing Jewish mitzvot and prayers during the Holocaust. “The mother of one of my dearest friends is a religious survivor of Auschwitz in her mid-90s. She and her sister worked in the ‘Canada’ storehouse barracks and would try to smuggle out things, including religious artifacts, to the camp. My father and friends of his told me of the shofar and a pair of tefillin in Auschwitz.” Prof. Tydor Schwartz has also gathered first-person accounts of Jews constructing a makeshift sukkah secretly in Auschwitz, made out of an empty barrel.
“Of course if caught, they would have been killed,” she said. “Even to stand and daven (pray) for a moment was dangerous.”
In the beginning of 1945, with Allied troops advancing, the Nazis began blowing up the Auschwitz death camp and satellite labor camps. Chaskel Tydor and about 60,000 other Jewish prisoners were sent on a death march to another camp thirty miles away. The night before they left, a fellow prisoner came up to him and handed him a bundle wrapped in dirty rags: the precious shofar they’d sounded on Rosh Hashanah.
The man told Chaskel that he didn’t think he’d survive the march, so he wanted Chaskel to take it. If Chaskel survived, the man instructed, he should tell the world that Jews blew the shofar in Auschwitz.
Chaskel survived the war and moved to the land of Israel, then under British rule. As his ship approached the coast of Haifa on Rosh Hashanah in 1945, Chaskel blew the Auschwitz shofar once again, celebrating the Jewish New Year within sight of the Israeli city of Haifa.
In later years, Chaskel worked in America, where he met his wife Shirley Kraus and where his daughter Prof. Tydor Schwartz was born. He worked in New York, Montana and South Dakota, and eventually moved back to Israel. Everywhere he went, he took his precious shofar.
“My father would blow the shofar at home for those who could not go to shul to hear it – women with small children, ill, elderly. He would blow it for my grandmother when she was unable to walk to shul, for me when I gave birth, and for all the women in our building with small children who could not go to shul,” Dr. Tydor Schwartz recounted.
“My father was extremely courageous and had a strong belief in God. He always tried to help as many as he could, even at great personal cost. He was a tremendous mensch and so much more. He may have been five foot two, but he was a giant of a man.”
On September 23, 2019, her father’s precious Auschwitz shofar came to America where it will be displayed in the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York. But first it will be blown in some New York City synagogues on Rosh Hashanah, letting Jews once again hear the sounds that helped sustain Jewish prisoners in Auschwitz a generation ago.
She hopes his legacy and the story of the shofar gives people hope and conveys the message that “we all have to look inside ourselves to find the inner strength to do good in this world, under all circumstances and conditions.”
This article can also be read at: https://www.aish.com/jw/s/The-Shofar-of-Auschwitz.html