Romaniote Memories: A Jewish Journey from Ioannina, Greece to Manhattan: Photographs by Vincent Giordano

Shofars from Ioannina

Kehila Kedosha Janina - Seth Kofinas Bar Mitzvah
These distinctive shofars come from Ioannina. They were donated to Kehila Kedosha Janina from the estate of Rabbi Bechoraki Matsil. The blowing of the shofar – a ram’s horn – dates to Biblical times. It was used as a bugle in battle and blown to indicate the times of services (like the ringing of church bells) in the time of the Jerusalem Temple. Today, the shofar is blown multiple times on Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year – and at the close of Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement). Because of its distinctive history and associations, the shofar is often depicted in Jewish art as a symbol of God’s Covenant with Abraham and with the Jewish people.

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  1. Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue Queens College Special Collections and Archives

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