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Houthis are causing a shofar shortage ahead of Rosh Hashana celebrations

The Houthis, an Iran-backed Yemenite terror group, are interfering with deliveries. 

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

As Rosh Hashana approaches, the nearly year-long war is causing a shortage of shofars, the traditional ram’s horn instrument that makes a plaintive cry during the Jewish New Year prayer service.

Many of these instruments arrive in Israel through the port of Eilat, and the Houthis, a Yemenite Iran-backed terror group, are interfering with deliveries.

Shippers have re-routed shofar deliveries, causing delays and fewer shofars delivered to Israel.

Jan-Elazar Refoua, who sells Judaica and gifts in downtown Jerusalem and specializes in shofars, reported that he usually sells six shofars a day in the period leading up to Rosh Hashana, but this year, he often sells just one daily.

Refoua spoke with Jerusalem Post about the difficulties leading up to Rosh Hashana, “I went to order merchandise, and they would say, ‘OK, it will be another week, or another two weeks,'” he explained.

The prices were 15% to 20% higher when the shofars were finally available.

The shortage has not created the problem of scarcity since tourism has also declined dramatically during the war, and therefore, fewer people are buying them.

However, despite the hardship created by the war, Refoua still hopes his business will survive and even thrive after the war.

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“I have been here in this store for 42 years. We got through all the terror attacks and coronavirus,” he added that his wife was injured in a terror attack.

Refoua, who has three sons in reserves in Gaza, said, “The main thing is that there should be more quiet and peace and that the soldiers will return in peace; that is what really matters.”
“We are like a sword – it gets stronger from being in the flame – heated and cooled,” he added.

“Shofar is godly music,” he said. “Sometimes you don’t hear it with your ears; you hear it with your heart. It’s a different feeling.”