Wishing You a
Happy
and Healthy
New Years!

Shofar Blast-Off

High Holiday tradition includes
that long-lasting final note.

JOYCE WISWELL CONTRIBUTING WRITER

I

three blasts
t wouldn’t be Rosh Hashanah
Teruah: nine rapid-fire blasts
without the blasting of the sho-
Tekiyah Gedolah: three teki-
far. In fact, it is heard
ABOVE:
yah
blasts lasting at least nine
a remarkable 100 times
Valerie Overholt
during the High Holiday
and her shofar. seconds total.
Tekiyah gedolah, that final
service.
blast, is often elongated as
Used to symbolize every-
thing from God’s continued kingship much as possible. Overholt can last
43 seconds. “I get really red in the
to the awakening of our spiritual
face,” she said.
slumber to the voice of the proph-
Overholt is not Jewish, although
ets, the shofar was blown at Mount
her husband and children are. “We
Sinai when the Torah was given.
celebrate the Jewish traditions and
It’s a tradition that has endured
it’s really a wonderful thing to be
through the centuries.
such a meaningful part of the holi-
Valerie Overholt of Pleasant
day services,” she said. “People are
Ridge has been blowing the shofar
so appreciative, and it feels like a
for some 25 years. “We belong to
privilege. And it’s nice to contribute
Workmen’s Circle and, at the time,
together with my husband.”
they did not have someone to blow
Dr. Jeffrey Weingarten, an ENT
it,” she recalled. “I grew up playing
physician who helped found the
the trumpet and thought I might be
Grosse Pointe Jewish Council, is
able to do it.”
known for his skill with the sho-
Overholt, a physician at
far. During a Yom Kippur service
Providence Hospital, took to it
in 2010, he was recorded blast-
quickly, but admitted that master-
ing for 1 minutes, 12 seconds on
ing the four different sounds was a
a single breath (youtube.com/
challenge. Throughout the service
watch?v=QLi36r_bk_Y). He favors a
(being held this year at the Mondry
long, curved shofar; Overholt prefers
Building on the Taubman Jewish
her shorter version.
Community Campus in Oak Park),
“Some shofars are much easier
her husband, Dr. Howard Schubiner,
calls the tone and she responds with than others,” she said. “The key is
how your mouth fits on it to force
the appropriate blast:
the air through.”
Tekiyah: an unbroken blast of
According to the Talmud, a sho-
about three seconds
far can be made from the horn of
Sh’varim: a tekiyah broken into
any animal in the bovidae family
except a cow. Usually, a ram’s horn
JN SHOFAR CONTEST!
is preferred. The world’s tallest
So, you think you can blow shofar like a
working shofar — a 17-foot-tall
champ? Well, show us what you’ve got.
sculpture at the Jewish Community
We’re holding a contest for the longest-
Center in Krakow, Poland — is
held, single blast on a shofar. The winner
crafted from stainless steel.
will receive $100 from the JN. Michigan
One last blast of shofar trivia:
entrants only. Post a video of your
On Sept. 21, 2014, 1,022 people
attempt on YouTube.com and send the
organized by the Partnership for
link by Sept. 24 to kcohen@renmedia.us.
Jewish Learning and Life gathered
Put “shofar” in the subject line. We will
in Whippany, N.J., to blow the sho-
announce the winner Sept. 28 and post
far — earning them a spot in the
the winning video on thejewishnews.com.
Guinness Book of World Records. •

from

Lincoln Shopping Center

Advance America
Bling Bling
Book Beat
Bread Basket
Brenda's Beans & Greens
Dollar Castle
Dr. Lazar DPM
Fallas
Fashion Elegance
Four Sisters Fashion
Lee Beauty Supply
Lincoln Barber Shop
Metropolitan Dry Cleaners
Metro PCS
Paper Goods Wearhouse
Payless Shoe
Rainbow Apparel
Sneaker Villa
Step in Style
Street Corner Music
Top That
T-Nails
The Suit Depot
McDonald's
White Castle & Church's Chicken

LINCOLN CENTER

Greenfield at 10 ½ Mile

jn

September 14 • 2017

85