Ban the shofar? Really?

Regarding activist attempts to sound the shofar on Har Habayit, the Palestinian Authority warned on Monday Elul 1 that the Jewish tradition of sounding the shofar throughout Elul is “no longer a passing religious ritual, but has become one of the most dangerous tools of the occupation to impose its alleged sovereignty. The shofar-blowing carries deep political symbolism in the Jewish faith, as it has historically been linked to declaring victory and control”.

Israel was accused of seeking to transform Al-Aqsa mosque into a “centre for Talmudic rituals”.

The United Nations was urged to take immediate steps to “halt these attacks”.

Interestingly, however, this is not the first Muslim attempt to control shofar blowing in Yerushalayim. Let me preface this with a personal story.

In 1966, while studying in Yerushalayim, I spent Pesach in Kfar Chabad where a Reb Moshe Segal whose daughter had married an Australian (Uri Kaploun) was always happy to host Australian boys.