Shofar Blowing Contest in New York City

— Late Show’s Paul Shaffer to Judge Shofar Contest in Herald Square Park! —
NEW YORK, Sept. 19 /PRNewswire/ —
WHAT: Late Show with David Letterman’s Paul Shaffer will judge atypical
musicians gathering in Gotham to blow — the Shofar. The legendary music
director will be on hand to help the National Jewish Outreach Program (NJOP)
crown the Best Shofar Blower in the country. Judges will evaluate finalists’
skills based on clarity of sound, accuracy according to Jewish law, length of
blast and overall performance. The finalists will sound one united Tekiah
Gedolah (a long blast — a performance of endurance.)
WHO: NJOP challenged shofar blowers to “blow them away” by submitting a
video showcasing their shofar blowing skills. After reviewing more than 150
entries, NJOP is bringing 10 finalists to NYC for the Great Shofar Blast Off
finals. In addition to Paul Shaffer, other judges include music legend Kenny
Vance, and modeling industry’s Marlene Wallach. Shofar-blowing expert Amos
Alter Esq. will serve as Chief Judge.
WHEN: September 22nd at 12:00 p.m.
WHERE: Herald Square Park* is located on 34th Street (between Sixth and
Broadway) in New York city and is managed by the 34th Street Partnership
(34SP.). The National Jewish Outreach Program has worked closely with 34SP in
planning this event.
BACKGROUND: In advance of the Jewish high holidays, NJOP is taking the
shofar from the synagogue to the streets. The Great Shofar Blast-Off is
aimed, in part, at inspiring unaffiliated Jews to participate in NJOP’s High
Holiday Beginners Services which are held at synagogues across North America.
For information /Photos /B-roll, contact:
Welfeld Public Relations:
Ilya Welfeld, 201-439-1010, [email protected]

About the National Jewish Outreach Program
Founded in 1987 by Rabbi Ephraim Z. Buchwald to address the critical
issues of assimilation and lack of Jewish knowledge, NJOP is now one of the
largest and most successful Jewish outreach organizations in the world. To
date, more than 850,000 people have benefited from NJOP’s innovative, free
programs which have been held in 3,630 locations — including synagogues,
community centers, military bases and college campuses — in all 50 states,
nine Canadian provinces and 30 countries around the world.
(http://www.njop.org).