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.

I anticipated a seder filled with chasidic insights. But Reb Moshe literally raced through the Haggadah, after which we ate and immediately proceeded to the balance of the Haggadah. And so I thought well that is that – until we came to “L’shana haba’ah b’Yerushalayim”. (Remember that in 1966 no Jew could enter the Old City, so that sentence had a more imminent meaning than today.) He then embarked on a fascinating account of his relationship with the Old City, the Kotel, the underground groups who fought the restrictions of the mandate, and Rabbi Aryeh Levine, known as the rabbi of those imprisoned by the British including those sentenced to death. The seder that I thought was hardly inspiring, turned out to be the most amazing I ever experienced.

So who was Moshe Segal who I was now privileged to know?

Following the Hebron massacre of August 1929, the Mandatory government was persuaded that it was the result of Muslim anger caused by Jewish provocation in the vicinity of Al-Aqsa. At the urging of the Mufti restrictions were placed on Jewish prayer at the Kotel – including the banning of blowing shofar that “disturbed” Muslim prayer.

But then came Yom Kippur 1930. How could the shofar not be sounded after Neilah? So various young people got together and Moshe Segal was chosen to carry out the illegal blowing. A shofar was smuggled in and at the appropriate moment he took it out from under his tallit and blew. He was immediately arrested – but Rav Kook told the High Commissioner that until he was released, he, Rav Kook, would not end his fast.

Until the Jordanian occupation, the precedent he set was followed year by year by a volunteer who despite the watching police always managed to smuggle in and blow a shofar.

Following the liberation of 1967 he immediately moved to live in a ruin in the Old City despite the hesitancy of his wife who was herself a survivor of the Hebron massacre. For the ensuing years of his life he would lecture regarding Yerushalayim until he passed away – fittingly – on Yom Kippur 1978.

Thanks to him that attempt to silence the shofar failed. And whilst I am not recommending going up to Har Habayit, no one will silence the eternal sound of the shofar.