Shofar and Silver Trumpets Sounded on Temple Mount During Rosh Hashanah
During Rosh Hashanah 5787, approximately 300 to 400 Jewish worshippers ascended the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. On the second day of the holiday, participants sounded shofars and silver trumpets at the site, an act described as a revival of ancient Temple worship.
During Rosh Hashanah 5787 in September 2026, a group of Jewish worshippers gathered on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and sounded shofars alongside silver trumpets, instruments tied to ancient Temple worship described in the Torah.
Reports indicate between 300 and 400 worshippers ascended the site over the holiday. On the second day, approximately 120 participants took part in what organizers called a "liberated prayer experience," using police-sanctioned prayer books prepared specifically for the Temple Mount.
Participants sounded 100 blasts of the shofar alongside silver trumpets, known as chatzotzrot. The ritual lasted more than four hours.
Israel Police allowed the ceremony to conclude but detained several individuals afterward for violating visitation rules, including those who sounded the instruments and others who engaged in unauthorized prostration.
The police issued a statement saying they work to facilitate freedom of worship for all faiths while maintaining established rules governing visits to the site.
Supporters called the event a significant development in the restoration of Jewish spiritual life at the site. The Jordanian Foreign Ministry condemned the gathering, calling it a provocative incursion that violates the status quo.
The event drew attention from Christian observers as well, given the Temple Mount's significance in biblical prophecy and its role in Jewish-Christian relations. Several Christian news outlets covered the story as part of broader reporting on religious freedom and access to holy sites in Jerusalem.
