An Improbable Relic of Auschwitz: A Shofar that Defied the Nazis

By Anonymous

An Improbable Relic of Auschwitz: 
A Shofar that Defied the Nazis




Cry Aloud, spare not, lift up your voice like a shofar. 
                                               
                                         - Isaiah 58:1
As Rosh Hashanah approaches, we are mindful as Jews that a huge and meaningful opportunity is before us to do deep self reflection, right our wrongs, return to our best selves and "lift up our voices like a shofar." Over the generations, we have heard many stories of Jews who went to tremendous lengths to affirm their Judaism - even when that meant risking their lives.

 Recently a powerful story was shared in the New York Times about a shofar that was blown during the High Holidays in Auschwitz - amidst all odds - and how one survivor, Haskel Tydor, kept the story of this shofar and the shofar itself alive with his family. Now his daughter, Judith Tydor Schwartz, is sharing both the shofar and the incredible story behind it with the world.

 Here is the link to the article:

 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/21/arts/auschwitz-shofar.html


 "If it's one thing I know from all the thousands of survivors I interviewed, it's that the impossible was possible, both to the bad and the good."

 - Dr. Judith Tydor Schwartz, an expert on the Holocaust, and daughter of Haskel 
"If there's an artifact that symbolizes the Jewish soul, you'd be hard pressed to find something more indicative than a shofar."

  - Jack Kliger, president and chief executive officer of the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the child of Holocaust survivors

Shana Tova!
Stephanie

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