(Courtesy of Chabad of Englewood) In preparation for the Jewish new year, Englewood children will play a special role in ushering in the High Holidays by crafting their very own ram’s horn instrument, known as the shofar, at Chabad’s “Shofar Factory” workshop on Tuesday, August 31 at 5:30 p.m. at Madison Park.

The children—with appropriate adult supervision—will help to cure, measure, saw, drill and polish a real ram’s horn to transform it into a working shofar instrument. When the horns are complete, participants will learn how to perform the traditional sequence of notes sounded on Rosh Hashanah. This unique event brings children together for a hands-on, exciting educational journey exploring the history and significance of the holiday and the shofar.

The shofar is the central symbol of Rosh Hashanah, which is celebrated near the beginning of each fall. Synagogues blast the shofar every day for a month leading up to the holiday, culminating with a sequence of 100 blasts during the Rosh Hashanah services, which take place this year on September 7 and 8. The cry of the shofar is a call to repentance as Jews look back at misdeeds of the past year and resolve to improve during the coming one.

Hosting the interactive “Shofar Factory” workshop is one of many Chabad “Living Legacy” programs, which link Jewish learning to Jewish practice through a series of creative and interactive experiences.

“Studies have shown that children absorb more when they are actively engaged in the educational process, than simply listening to a lecture in the classroom,” remarked Rabbi Shmuel Konikov. “This is why Chabad has instituted ‘Living Legacy’ workshops, which offer a multisensory approach to Jewish learning. Our goal is to encourage Jewish kids and their families to enjoy and appreciate Judaism by offering fun and positive educational experiences. In the case of the ram’s horn, we hope the activity will encourage children to explore and practice the Jewish New Year.”

The event costs $15 per person and is open to the entire Jewish community.

For more information about Rosh Hashanah, visit www.ChabadEnglewood.com/HighHolidays.

For more information, contact Chabad of Englewood at [email protected] or visit www.ChabadEnglewood.com.