A “telecommunications” link will tie Jews here to a congregation 6.000 miles away at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on the eve of the Jewish New Year 5744. The two groups will simultaneously blow the shofar and send each other wishes for peace in the world, it was reported by JWB.
At midnight Saturday, September 3, when penitential prayer services are recited, Rabbi Joseph Simckes will blow the shofar at Hollis Hills Jewish Center in Queens. Simultaneously, U.S. Navy Chaplain Arnold Resnicoff, stationed with the Sixth Fleet, will blow the shofar at the Western Wall. The time in Israel will be 6 a.m., Sunday, September 4.
Simckes and Resnicoff, who are first cousins, will then wish each other best wishes for peace throughout the world, those wishes also representing their respective congregations. Simckes will make contact with Israel by dialing a telephone number at the Wall. The entire proceeding will be amplified so that each congregation can hear the other.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.