Shofar? So Good, Y’all!

Southern & Jewish

Southern & Jewish celebrates the stories, people, and experiences – past and present – of Jewish life in the American South. Hosted by the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life, posts come from educators, students, rabbis, parents, artists, and many other “visitors-to and daily-livers-of” the Southern Jewish experience. From road trips to recipes to reflections, we’ll explore a little bit of everything – well, at least all things Southern and/or Jewish. Shalom, y’all!

Sometimes, in a small Southern town, you might not hear the call of the shofar outside of High Holy Day services.

Other times, it becomes part of a musical moment of comedy.

Recently, in partnership with the Schusterman Visiting Artists Program, the ISJL brought dynamic Israeli musician Amir Gwirtzman, “a cultural ambassador of the Jewish State,” on several whirlwind tours in the Deep South. Amir delighted audiences of all ages and backgrounds wherever he went.

And in LaGrange, GA, his shofar-and-modern-horn-comedy-duet brought the house down. For those in the audience who might not have ever heard the sound of the shofar before, they now know it to be a versatile and hilarious instrument, as well as one with deep meaning, much like the community that hearkens to its sound.

Just another day in the Jewish South…