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Community Corner

Whiz Kid: 15-Year-Old Provides A Congregation's Wake-Up Call

Parkway North sophomore Ben Packman has been playing the Shofar since he was 10.

For a teenager, being responsible for your own alarm clock can be a tough enough challenge. But how would you handle the task if you were responsible for an entire congregation?

If you have questions, you should ask sophomore Ben Packman. Now at the ripe old age of 15, Packman has been blowing the shofar at for five years.

"The shofar is an instrument that comes from the Torah," Temple Israel Rabbi Amy Feder said. "During Rosh Hashana, it serves as a wake-up call to change your life for the better. It's literally supposed to be an alarm."

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Ben's father, Michael Packman, had the idea that Ben could do this from an early age.

"When he was little, he and his older brother challenged each other to see who could hold their breath the longest while swimming," Michael said. "His brother got all the way down the pool and half the way back, but Ben made it all the way down and all the way back without taking a breath. I immediately thought, 'This kid's got a set of lungs.'"

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That set of lungs led Ben to try music.

"First, I started playing the trumpet," Ben said. "After that, my dad suggested the shofar. I tried it, and I was really good."

Ben started blowing the shofar for Temple Israel during children's services and transitioned to the regular services three years ago.

"I thought it was pretty cool," Ben said of when he found out he'd be playing for the full congregation. "I'd wanted to play in the sanctuary by myself for a long time."

Ben can be seen blowing the shofar during the Temple Israel Rosh Hashana service at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday night.

Instead of the traditional practice of the rabbi calling out when to blow the shofar, Temple Israel has Ben's family come up in front of the congregation and do the calls alongside him.

"It's a beautiful scene," Feder said.

Ben's family has been a part of the congregation at Temple Israel for four generations, so his parents find Ben's talent with the shofar to be a point of pride for their family.

"I think it's an honor to be up there with him," said Diane Packman, Ben's mother.

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