At the Museum “Jewish Memory and Holocaust in Ukraine,” a leading cultural and historical institution of the Jewish Community of Dnipro, a special ceremony took place in honor of the approaching holiday of Rosh Hashanah. On the eve of the Jewish New Year, Rabbi Reuven Milman of the Central “Golden Rose” Synagogue sounded the shofar, reminding those present of the important tradition of the month of Elul, while the Museum presented its new “Exhibits of the Month” – two historic shofars from the 19th century, reflecting different traditions of the Jewish world.
The ceremony was attended by the Museum’s Director, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Dr. Iryna Radchenko, Museum staff, and a correspondent of the Jewish Community of Dnipro website. The voice of the shofar, resounding through the museum halls, became a symbol of spiritual preparation for Rosh Hashanah and underscored that the Museum preserves not only the material heritage of the Jewish people but also helps visitors better understand the living traditions connected to its history and spiritual life.
At the same time, the Museum announced two historical shofars from the 19th century – an Ashkenazi and a Sephardi one – as its “Exhibits of the Month.” These rare artifacts allow visitors to see the diversity of Jewish traditions. Over the centuries, different communities have used shofars of various forms and origins – Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Yemenite, Moroccan, and others. In Chabad, including the Jewish Community of Dnipro, there is an established custom of using a specially curved ram’s horn shofar. Therefore, the historical shofars presented in the museum exhibition give visitors the opportunity to become acquainted with the rich variety of traditions across the Jewish world.
“The entire month of Elul, Jews prepare for the arrival of Rosh Hashanah, and one of the most important customs of this time is the daily sounding of the shofar,” said Rabbi Reuven Milman of the Central “Golden Rose” Synagogue. “Its voice helps a person pause amid the daily hustle, reflect on the past year, prepare their soul to greet the new year, and make good resolutions for the future. I am very glad that today this important call resounded within the walls of our Museum, just as it does in all the other institutions of our united and cohesive Jewish Community of Dnipro under the leadership of Chief Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki.”
