CENTRAL PARK — Rain lashed the concrete around the Naumburg Bandshell in the park and only a skeletal crowd had gathered moments before Rabbi Yisrael Kugel was set to celebrate the Jewish new year in Central Park.
However, as the clock ticked closer to 5 p.m., the clouds broke and people gathered, and the rain cleared up with only moments to spare.
“Look at this. Isn’t it amazing,” said Kugel, who had feared he would have to cancel the first “Shofar in the Park” event, where a hollowed out ram’s horn is used to celebrate the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah.
The ceremony took what happens almost exclusively in synagogues and brought it into the public sphere, he said.
"'Shofar in the Park' is about pausing for a moment of collective and self-reflection: ‘I was born. I am here. Now how can I make a difference?'" said Kugel, who heads up the Center for Jewish Life, an organization dedicated to helping Jewish life be relevant and accessible to the unaffiliated.
While the "Shofar in the Park" is mainly targeted at Jews, everyone is welcome, he said.
“People from all walks of life have taken many different lessons from the sound of the shofar,” said Kugel.
Emily Gressel, a 29-year-old from Queens, just happened to be in Central Park when it started pouring.
“Originally we were just coming here to get out of the rain, but I think we might stick around,” said Gressel, as she took shelter in the bandshell with her husband before the event. She is Jewish. Her husband is not.
“It’s kind of cool to have it in a public place and share it with everyone.” she said.
A few hundred people gathered for the event, munching on the traditional Rosh Hashanah treat of apples and honey provided by Kugel and his wife Chana.
Rachel Saloman, 27-year-old from Queens, had planned to attend the service rain, hail or shine.
“Its a fantastic idea. A wonderful, generous idea,” Saloman said, who converted to Judaism in 2006.
Saloman said listening to the shofar in Central Park reminded her about mercy, death and resurrection as the old year comes to an end and the new one begins.
“The bottom line is it’s all about love,” she said.
The public blowing of the shofar is a tradition that Rabbi Kugel is intent on establishing. Last year, his organization held the event at the Excelsior Hotel. This year he brought it to Central Park.
“The beauty that I take out of the shofar is its simplicity,” he said. “It really taps into what the soul is trying to express.”
