Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year at the beginning of each fall, has a central symbol: the shofar. The item is a ram’s horn instrument that ushers in the High Holidays.

This year to prepare for Rosh Hashanah in Renton, children created their own shofar’s at the “Shofar Factory” workshop, Sunday, Sept. 15 at the Chabad Jewish Center.

“The ‘Shofar Factory’ was a preview and preparation for the Jewish New Years celebrations yet to come here in Renton,” Rabbi Yisroel Treitel stated in a Chabad Jewish Center press release. “On September 30th it will culminate in a grand celebration over a delicious and festive Rosh Hashanah Community Dinner and inspiring High Holiday services for the Jewish Community here.”

At the workshop, kids helped measure, cut, drill and polish a real ram’s horn. After it was completed, the children were taught how to perform a traditional sequence of notes for Rosh Hashanah. Synagogues play on the shofar every day for a month leading up to the new year. The holiday culminates in a sequence of 100 “blasts” from the horns.

“The cry of the shofar is a call to reflection as Jews look back at their deeds from the past year and resolve to improve during the coming one,” the press release states.

The first and only Jewish presence in Renton, the center offer workshops like this and other programs to help families explore their heritage in a “warm, open and non-judgmental environment,” according to the press release.

This workshop is part of the center’s “JKids” program, that teach Jewish experiences through interactive lessons.

“Studies have shown that children absorb more when they are actively engaged in the educational process,” stated Shternie Treitel, who co-directs the Center together with her husband, in the release. “This is why we have instituted these JKids workshops, which offer a multi-sensory approach to Jewish learning. Our goal is to encourage Jewish kids and their families to enjoy and appreciate Judaism by offering fun and positive educational experiences.”