Reminder | JCK Kauai Hanukkah Party This Sunday

Don't miss one of our favorite events. It's JCK's traditional Kauai Hanukkah party that takes place on Sunday, December 2 from 530pm to 730pm.

Enjoy homemade latkes, plus help us make delicious jelly donuts (sufganiyot) at the party again this year! Our community will be providing the latkes, donuts and drinks.Take part in our annual community lighting. We’ll be lighting the menorah for the first night of the holiday, so please bring your menorah, candles and dreidels!”  A limited number of candles will be available.There is no charge to attend for paid JCK members. For non-members a $10 donation for a single person and $20 or more donation for a family is requested.Please bring a dish to share, based on the following:

• A-K salads
• L-P dessert
• R-Z main dish

Where: St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Hardy Street, Lihue. Map.When: Sunday, December 2, 2018.Time: 5:30 pm.For more information: Please call 808-651-7041. 

Please Join us for the Bat Mitzvah of Julia Barzilai 12/29/18

The family of Julia Barzilai extends an invitation for Jewish Community of Kauai congregation members to attend her Bat Mitzvah on Saturday, December 29, 2018, 5:00 pm at the Kauai Harbor House in Kekaha.Please RSVP by November 18 to LauraKBarzilai@gmail.com or call 651-7041, as the family is preparing for a catered dinner.

#ShowUpForShabbat | Friday 6pm

Join Us For a Solidarity Shabbat this Friday, November 9, at 6pm.

In a unique Shabbat service, we will commemorate the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht, also referred to as the, "Night of Broken Glass" (November 9-10, 1938). At the same time, we continue honoring the lives lost at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.Service will be conducted by student rabbi, Rob Kvidt, and includes a reading from the Torah. Rob will also perform a flute duet with his music teacher, Susan Hironaka, to honor the memories of Jews who lost their lives at Tree of Life Synagogue and during Kristallnacht.We rarely do an evening service, so you won't want to miss this special one at which we will be using our new siddur, Mishkan T’filah.A gourmet vegetarian Shabbat dinner following the service 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, November 9, 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 on site and on our home page via PayPal link.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.

Many Thanks!

We are grateful to our extended Kauai community for joining us on Sunday, November 4, to commemorate the lives of those killed in Pittsburgh. With over 100 people gathered, we felt the support and love of everyone. Thank you Sally Wilson for spearheading this event.

JCK Supports St. Michael's "Who Dunnit?" Gala

JCK Supports St. Michael's "Who Dunnit?" Gala

Please join JCK in supporting St. Michael's, our community's home for many years. We have been blessed to have the use of a very special space for Shabbat, Jewish holidays, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. The Community of St. Michael’s has shared their campus with JCK with open arms and aloha."Who Dunnit?" St. Michael's Gala, presenting Murder at Kilohana, written by Wil Welsh and directed by Dottie Bekeart. "Step back into the 1920s at the historic Kilohana Estate mansion in Puhi. While a sumptuous dinner is being served, there’s an exciting “Silent Auction” going on.  All of a sudden, an intriguing mystery needs to be solved!"All of this and more for two great causes: HUGS and St. Michael’s community support initiatives.Where: Gaylord's Restaurant, Lihue.When: Sunday, October 21, 2018.Time: 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm.Cost: $120 per person. Includes open seating, complimentary gift, dinner, theater, and one complimentary glass of wine during the cocktail hour.Tickets: Available from Brown Paper Tickets.  Payments at BPT are processed through PayPal.  (A PayPal account is not required).

Catered Shabbat Shuvah With Rabbi Marna on Saturday

 Join with fellow Kauai Jews for Shabbat Shuvah Saturday, September 15, at 10 am at St. Michael's. Services will be followed by a lovely catered luncheon.The Kauai Jewish Community is very pleased to have Rabbi Marna Sapsowitz leading the 5779 High Holidays.Shabbat ShuvahThis year again, as part of our observance and High Holiday services, the community will add a Shabbat Shuvah celebration. Shabbat Shuvah is one of the Jewish year's most special Shabbats. It is sometimes called the Sabbath of Return or Sabbath of Repentance. This Saturday will mark a time for self-reflection, for finding our own highest good, and for casting out all that no longer serves us in the New Year just started. Shabbat Shuvah leads us to the Yom Kippur holiday which begins with Kol Nidre next Tuesday, September 18. See our entire High Holidays schedule of events.All services are held at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Hardy Street, Lihue. Map.Non-members and visitors are most welcome and are asked to make a minimum donation of $50 per person, per service attended including Shabbat Shuvah. You are welcome to pay online or in-person. There is, according to our community’s practice, no charge to attend any of the services for our paid members.In our tradition of tzedakah (charity), and in the spirit of aloha, please bring donations of food and/or money for the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry. The Kauai food pantry distributes food to about one hundred people each week, is staffed by volunteers, and is supported by donations including ours. Canned and/or non perishable food please.Catering for the High Holidays is being provided by our caterer Sandy Jennings and Fresh from the Garden.Photo at Kauai Jewish Community 5779 Rosh Hashanah service.

New Torah for Kauai Jewish Community

 The Jewish Community of Kauai is grateful and awed to present to our members a brand new Kosher Torah that is arriving on Kauai this week. We were able to acquire this new Torah through a very generous gift which was provided by the Lovell Family Trust.This indescribably beautiful Torah was hand-written for us by a scribe in Israel. The unique, hand-made custom Etz Chaim (rollers) were also made in Israel, with inlaid wood from around the world, including koa we sent from Kauai.How wonderful and amazing is this!There are so many people to thank for making this happen. They include (in no particular order) Rabbi Aryeh Azriel, Rabbi Bill Kurry ZT"L, Rabbinical confirmant Rob Kvidt, and all of JCK's board members, including co-presidents Carol Pescaia and Jeff Tucker.We will be using the new Torah for all of the 5779 High Holidays. There will also be an opportunity for community members to see the Torah up close.A formal Torah dedication with Rabbi Aryeh Azriel will take place in the near future. At that time we will also acknowledge the many loving hands from across the world, the untold number of processes, and many hundreds of hours that it took to make this Torah a reality for our community.

Jewish Community of Kauai Welcomes Rabbi Marna Sapsowitz

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.