March 12, 2022

A video circulating on social media on Saturday shows a group of truckers from the "Freedom Convoy" blowing curved horns, or what Jews call "shofars." These ancient musical horn are typically made of a ram's horn and are used for Jewish religious purposes. Chabad.org explains the meaning and purpose of a shofar as: "a trumpet made from the horn of a kosher animal with the marrow removed." It is blown during the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year, which consists of 2 days of religious services) during the month of Elul, and at the end of Yom Kippur to mark the end of the day of fasting.

It symbolizes a cry from the soul. It is sacred and moving, and the sound is so beautiful and profound because the horn cannot be tuned or played like an instrument. The sound changes based on the shofar blower's forceful change of breath being pushed into the horn. Fast breaths emit a deep and short sound, longer breaths emit an even deeper and more soulful sound. It really is something special.

As a Jew, seeing my religious symbol being appropriated by these yahoos deeply hurts me. And twitter felt the same:

I snickered at this one:

Stop appropriating my religion, you racist hicks. Go back home. You look (and sound) like idiots.

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