There’s a TikTok video I think about often, where a person blinks wordlessly into their front-facing camera, clearly unamused. The text on the screen reads “During the children’s service for Rosh Hashanah somebody had the incredible idea to give all the kids little shofars.”
In the background is, in our opinion, one of the worst noises you’ve ever heard.
Based on the delighted response to this TikTok, we thought these toys were universally hated; an inside joke between Jewish adults, if you will.
We put a call out on Instagram for your opinions on plastic shofars, expecting a unanimous negative reaction and ready to write a community plea to the makers of this product to end production immediately.
But we were surprised — the plastic shofar isn’t universally hated (just mostly hated), and for those who do hate it, there are reasons other than the auditory assault. Below, the major camps of thinking on this — apparently controversial! — holiday item. Which one do you fall into?
LOVE THEM!
“An essential.”
“Good for the kids! I didn’t know there were any other thoughts on this.”
“My toddler is obsessed! It’s so cute!”
“Fun and educational for kids!”
“Anything to make my kids like something Jewish (even if they are horribly annoying).”
“Cute!”
“Love them despite how annoying they are. Kids love them!”
“Love them! Anything to encourage Judaism in our kids’ lives.”
“They make shofaring accessible!”
“10/10 for my 4-year-old!”
“Worth it to excite children about Rosh Hashanah! L’dor v’dor!”
“Fun for the right kid. Obnoxious when given to the wrong kid. I have both those kids.”
“Cute for kids!”
“Great for little kiddos!”
“A great and easy way to get kids involved in the holiday!”
“Good for kids to learn how to blow the shofar!”
“Why not? A fun toy.”
I DISAPPROVE ON ANNOYANCE GROUNDS
Dozens of variations of “NOOOOOOOOO”
“It’s giving Jewish kazoo.”
“The inventor of these should immediately repent.”
“Diabolical.”
“If this is a shofar, so is a kazoo.”
“Straight into the trash.”
“The bane of my existence.”
“Please god no.”
“Burn them all”
“Spawn of satan.”
“The sound haunts my nightmares ❤️”
“THE WORST ITEM EVER INVENTED.”
“Isn’t that just a kazoo?”
“Torture.”
“AHHHHHH”
I DISAPPROVE ON JEWISH GROUNDS
“Cheapens the significance of blowing a real shofar.”
“Ornamental at best.”
“A bit too capitalistic for an ancient tradition.”
“Not authentic by any means.”
“Feels very insincere.”
“This is not a real shofar, it’s a toy.”
I DISAPPROVE ON ENVIRONMENTAL GROUNDS
“A plastic gimmick that will end up in a landfill? Not a Jewish value.”
“More single-use plastics probably aren’t what we need right now.”
“I’m against anything that’s going to leech microplastics into the water supply.”
“Something to fill up a landfill goes against our values.”
I CONTAIN MULTITUDES
“So cute for 5 minutes, then annoying, then guilt about wasting plastic.”
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