The Great Porch Shofar Blow of 2020

Remember on Pesach, because of the full closure forcing families to celebrate the Pesach seder apart, leaving many elderly and young  and single parents and just singles to host their often, often lonely, Pesach seders with no guests and not being able to be a guest, there was an initiative for everyone to go out to their porches and sing Ma Nishtana loudly together? And there have been initiatives to cheer on healthcare workers by going out on porches and clapping, and other similar initiatives to support and cheer on others suffering in some way during this pandemic.  

With another possible closure looming for the upcoming High Holidays, and even without a closure it is almost definite that shuls will not be fully functioning, with many forced to pray in courtyard or porch or street minyanim, and still with many davening at home due to being high risk and many being fearful of going out and potentially being exposed to the virus, the rabbinic organization "Benoam", is publishing a new initiative. 

Benoam says this began with concern for the traditional community that normally goes to shul to hear the shofar blown on Rosh Hashana, but are concerned they might not be able to this year with shuls and minyanim limited in size.

Additionally, older people, and other sin high risk categories, might be concerned about going out to hear the shofar and might have to choose to forgo the shofar this year due to that concern of exposure. 

So, at 11am on Rosh Hashana (I hope they mean on the 2nd day, which is Sunday, and not on the first day) everyone who blows shofar should go out on their porches or into the streets and blow the shofar. At the same time, 11am, all over the country in the streets and on the porches, so everyone can hear the blasts of the shofar. 

source: Israel Hayom

For that one minute at 11am, will everyone blow 10 blasts, Tekia, Shvarim Truah, Tekia, or will everyone blow 30? 40? 60? 100?

It is a nice idea. I don't know what type of gravitas this will get as I don't know what type of influence Benoam has - personally I dont think I ever heard of them until now. Also, 11 seems like a difficult time - many people might already be in the middle of Musaf services and unable/unwilling to go out. But I hope enough people do this, or other initiatives, and help people hear the shofar blown. I don't know if I will be able to go out at 11 - it will depend on the schedule of the services I participate in - but even if later in the day, I am happy to blow shofar on my porch for anyone who might benefit by hearing it, and I already often blow for neighbors who cannot make it to shul.

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