Kauai Jews are grateful and fortunate to be welcoming Rabbi Marna Sapsowitz. She was able to come to our aid at the last minute, when Rabbi Aryeh could no longer to come to Kauai. She will be leading the Jewish Community of Kauai High Holidays for 5779 starting September 9, 2018.Rabbi Marna Sapsowitz's roots are in New York. She graduated from high school in Northeastern PA, and attended Brandeis University, majoring in Sociology and Jewish Studies. She earned an M.Ed, from Seattle University. She was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 1989, and was honored to receive her honorary D.D. from the RRC in 2014.Rabbi Marna has just completed her sixth (and last) winter as "snowbird rabbi" to the Jewish Community on the Island of St Croix in the US Virgin Islands. Before that, she served for thirteen years as Rabbi of Temple Beth Hatfiloh in Olympia, WA, which she still calls home. She has a deep passion for Jewish life in Eastern /Central Europe, and has worked with liberal/progressive Jewish communities in Prague and Warsaw. She loves languages, and is a student of both Russian and Yiddish, and, most recently, Arabic. She also enjoys singing in her synagogue choir.She is delighted to be to partnering with JCK to create a rich and meaningful High Holy Day season, and looks forward to meeting and connecting with members of our Community.
Give Aloha at Foodland Benefits Kauai Jewish Community
From September 1 through September 30 here's a great chance to pay up to $249 of your annual contribution now due. And to help our community even more, Foodland will match part of your donation!The Jewish Community of Kauai is again participating in Foodland’s Annual Give Aloha Community Matching Gifts Program. This program honors the legacy of Foodland founder Maurice J. “Sully” Sullivan in giving back to the community. Matching funds are provided via The Western Union Foundation and Foodland.How to Contribute to JCK
- From September 1 through 30, 2018, you can make donations of up to a $249 per person to benefit the Jewish Community of Kauai. You may make your annual membership payment this way as well. You must use your own Maika`i Card to make a donation as donations will otherwise not be matched.
- $249 does not comprise the total annual contribution suggested for 2018-2019 ($360 for a family, $180 for a single person). You can send the remainder as a check to JCK directly or pay via PayPal on our website. Our mailing address is: Jewish Community of Kauai, P. O. Box 3749, Lihue, HI 96766.
- At checkout, please provide your Maika`i Card and advise the cashier that you would like to make a donation to JCK. If you do not already have a Maika`i Card, you may obtain one.
- Our registration code is 78502. See our banner in the Waipouli Foodland. Your donation will be added to your grocery purchase total. The amount donated to JCK will appear on your receipt. Any donation must be made payable to Foodland.
- Important note. Your name will not be provided to JCK. Please contact us directly to advise us of your gift or membership so that we can acknowledge you.
Are These Contributions Tax Deductible?Yes, contributions are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. Save your receipt for tax purposes since it will be the only record you will have of your donation.For more details, visit the Give Aloha website.
Reminder: June 23 | Join Us For Last Shabbat Service Before High Holidays
Please Join Us For Kauai Shabbat on June 23
Services will be conducted by our own Marty Kahn and D'var Torah will be lead by Carol Pescaia. This will be the last Shabbat service prior to the upcoming High Holiday Services, which begin on September 9. There will be no Shabbat services in July and August.We will have an Oneg Shabbat following the service which is being created by our wonderful caterer Sandy Jennings. Please assist us by helping with the setup and breakdown!Where: St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Hardy Street, Lihue. Map.When: Saturday, June 23, 2018.Time: 10:00 am.Siddur: We will be again be using our new Siddur, Mishkan T'filah. Please donate name plates in our new books to honor loved ones!For more information please contact us.As a reminder, JCK needs sponsors for other Shabbat Onegs this year. Please take part, as many levels of participation available.
JCK Joins St. Michael's Work Day This Saturday
Join us this Saturday, May 26, to help keep the home of the Jewish Community of Kauai beautiful.The St. Michael's community will be cleaning the church and doing some demolition work to the Goodale Center. They have lots of projects happening to include removing mildew from the Sanctuary pew chairs, cleaning out the former nurses training offices in the Goodale building (removing the carpets and one wall, and stripping the walls clean), hedge trimming, and other odd jobs. There are also opportunities to do some deep cleaning in the kitchen."We are so blessed for all of you who take such good care of our Sanctuary and Church grounds." -- St. Michael's.Where: St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Hardy Street, Lihue. Map.When: Saturday, May 26, 2018.Time: 9:00 am to 12:00 noon.Bring gloves, buckets and cleaning cloths for the chlorine removal if working in the Sanctuary, or demolition tools if wanting to work in the Goodale building.
Last Call! April 20 Friday Evening Shabbat and Dinner
Please Join Us at 6pm this Friday
A festive Friday night Shabbat including Torah service will be conducted by our own student rabbi, Rob Kvidt. We rarely do an evening service, so you won't want to miss this one at which we will be using our brand new Siddur, Mishkan T’filah.We will have a catered Oneg and gourmet vegetarian Shabbat dinner following the service which is being created and served by our fabulous caterer Sandy Jennings.Where: St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Hardy Street, Lihue. Map.When: Friday, April 20, 2018.Time: 6:00 pm.Cost for dinner: No charge for paid JCK members. Non-members donation of $35 per person requested. Credit cards accepted.Reminder: JCK needs sponsors for other Shabbat Onegs this year. Please take part, as many levels of participation are available.For more information: Please use our contact form.
Name Plates For Our New Prayer Books
We are now gratefully accepting donations towards our three new sets of prayer books. These beautiful books will be enjoyed by our community for many years to come.Have an inscribed bookplate placed in the book(s) of your choice. Use this to celebrate or acknowledge any significant event, or just to feel more a part of our island community.We welcome donations in multiples of Chai – $18, $36, $54, $72, etc. Payments can be made online with credit/debit cards.Click link above to take part today.Photo: Rob in Jerusalem 2017.
Name Plates For New Kauai Jewish Community Prayer Books
Congratulations to the Jewish Community of Kauai! We now have three wonderful new sets of prayer books:
- Mishkan Hanefesh, a double volume for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
- Mishkan T’filah, a Shabbat Siddur.
- The Open Door, a modern Haggadah for Pesach.
These are all richly informative and very beautiful books which we are sure you will enjoy throughout the years.Now is the perfect opportunity for you to participate directly: Payment may be made online via credit card.
Name Plates For New Kauai Jewish Community Prayer Books
1. Make a donation to have an inscribed bookplate placed in the book(s) of your choice.You might celebrate a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, a marriage, a birth, an anniversary, a friendship, virtually any milestone that moves you. You may also acknowledge a death or yartzeit, or commemorate another occasion in your life. Perhaps there are community events or world movements that inspire you; these, too, could be honored.Please make a donation in multiples of Chai - $18, $36, $54, $72, etc. Also, indicate in which of the books you would like your bookplate: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, or Shabbat.2. Please contact Elyse at elyse@litvack.kauai@gmail.com with the bookplate information, and we will gladly and gratefully help you to fulfill your request. Payment may be made online via credit card.Thank you.
Our 2018 Passover Seder was GREAT!
Sara Silverman did an excellent job with our beautiful new Haggadah, The Open Door. We had a lovely mix of visitors and locals, Sandy Jenning’s food was delicious, and our liberation was relevant and ever-new.Thank you for coming, join us next year if you can, and enjoy the photos!Shalom -- Carol and Jeff
Monroe Richman z”l Memorial Service
Monroe Richman z”l Memorial ServiceWith great sadness we recently shared the news that long time and very active JCK member Monroe Richman passed away, on the mainland on December 12, 2017.Monroe and his beloved wife Esther have been an integral part of our community for decades, both having a great love for JCK.This marks the passing of a legend. We will all miss Monroe very much.Memorial on January 13, 2018There will be a memorial service and a paddle-out/scattering of ashes for Monroe on Saturday, January 13, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. It will take place at Waiohai Beach. Please spread the word – all are invited to attend.
Don Schoenfeld z”l
Don Schoenfeld z”lIt is with great sadness that we share the news that long time JCK member Don Schoenfeld passed away last night.Don and his beloved wife of 74 years, Trudy, supported and cherished each other and have been an inspiration to the Jewish Community of Kauai for decades.We will all miss Don dearly.Interment will take place in California at Mt. Sinai Hollywood Hills on Friday. The family has requested that any donations in Don's name be made to Kauai Hospice or another charity of choice.
Mike Splittstoesser z"l
Mike Splittstoesser z"l
It is with profound sadness and deepest condolences that we share with you that Mike Splittstoesser passed away on September 6, 2017, at the age of 49.Mike is survived by his wife Lisa and daughter Malia, mother-in-law Joan, as well as many other loving relatives and friends. The Splittstoesser's are long time cherished members of the Jewish Community of Kauai.May God and our community be a source of comfort to Lisa's family in their time of grief.A Celebration of Life took place on Tuesday September 12, 2017 at Lihue Lutheran Church.Donations in Mike's HonorLisa has asked that any donations in Mike's honor be sent to the Hyperberic Treatment Center at the University of Hawaii. Account 12088204. Mailing address: UH Foundation, PO Box 11270, Honolulu, HI 96828. Checks should be made out to UH Foundation.Donations can also be made online at uhfoundation.org/MikeSplittstoesser.Please feel free to pass on this email to others. Thank you.
Please Volunteer | “Unlikely Liberators” at Kauai Veterans' Center
Please Volunteer | “Unlikely Liberators”
As you now know, Lisa Splitstoesser’s husband, Mike, died unexpectedly Tuesday night. It has been a great shock and sadness to all of us who know and love this family.Lisa was in charge of finding volunteers for the “Unlikely Liberators” exhibit at the Kauai Veterans Center. Mike and Lisa both played an integral part in getting this exhibit set up and running. To honor them, we are asking that as many of you as possible sign up for one or more shifts at the exhibit. It runs until 9/27 —- every day but Sundays. There are many slots yet to be filled. Sign up here or read below: http://signup.com/login/entry/492931708034.By volunteering, we Jews also honor those brave, righteous Japanese soldiers (mostly from Hawaii) who freed the 5000 Jews on a death march and who also liberated Dachau and many of it’s sub camps. Visiting the exhibit is a very emotional experience. You will feel a deep bond with Kauai’s Japanese community.There are three types of volunteers: registrars, docents and security. And there are two shifts per day: 10 - 1 and 1 - 4. Each job is quite easy. Below is a description of each:Registrar: Sits at the front desk and asks people to sign in. That’s it!Docent: Familiarizes themselves with the history of the Japanese liberators and gives visitors to the exhibit a short overview of what they are going to see in the four “bays”. (We’ll send you a “cheat sheet”.)Security: Just walks around the bays making sure nobody defaces anything. Pretty unlikely that anyone would.
About "Unlikely Liberators"
“Unlikely Liberators” is the remarkable story of the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion and the liberation of the Dachau death march.The Kauai Veterans' Center is sponsoring an exhibit by the Nisei Veteran’s Legacy. The exhibit will run from September 5 through 27. The exhibit was curated by military historian Eric Saul and documents the encounters between Dachau prisoners and Nisei soldiers of the 522nd Field Artillery Batallion. The 522nd was part of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a segregated unit made up primarily of Americans of Japanese descent. The 442nd was the most decorated unit in World War II.How to participate:We’re using SignUp.com to organize our upcoming activity.Please sign up for Unlikely Liberators!Here’s how it works in 3 easy steps:1. Please use this link to go to our invitation page on SignUp.com: http://signup.com/login/entry/492931708034.2. Enter your email address: (You will NOT need to register an account on SignUp.com) 3. Sign up! Choose your spots – SignUp.com will send you an automated confirmation and reminders. Easy!Note: SignUp.com does not share your email address with anyone. If you prefer not to use your email address, please contact me and I can sign you up manually.If you have any questions or know of others who would be interested in volunteering, please contact me, Micki Evslin, at micki.evslin@gmail.com.Many thanks for your time!Watch Eric Saul talking about the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion in the YouTube videos below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgh-JQjR3jshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fc0x1ay_UeE
Reminder | Please Join Us For Shabbat Saturday August 26
Services and Torah reading will be led by our own Rabbinical student Rob Kvidt who will be joined by JCK's recent Bar Mitzvah Isaac Dubey.The Jewish Community of Kauai will be sponsoring a sumptuous Mediterranean Oneg Shabbat following the service. It is being catered by Sandy Jennings of Fresh from the Garden. A contribution of $25 per person for non dues-paying attendees is requested to help defray costs, and is sincerely appreciated.Where: St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Hardy Street, Lihue. Map.When: Saturday, August 26, 2017.Time: 10:00 am.For more information please contact us.As a reminder, JCK needs sponsors for other Shabbat Onegs throughout the year. Please take part, as many levels of help and cost are available.