PASSOVER SEDER ON KAUAI 2024

Please join us for Pesach!

Our annual Jewish Community of Kauai SEDER will be on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at St. Michael’s in Lihue. Sara Silverman will lead the Seder, assisted by Marty Kahn; of course we all will participate in the powerful retelling of the Passover story! The Four Questions, searching for the Afikomen, reading, singing, remembering our freedom from slavery and renewing our commitment to our faith and all freedoms.

 Sandy Jennings will cater a sumptuous meal with the traditional favorites, including matzoh ball soup - YUM!

MENU

Matzoh ball soup
Gefilte fish
Choice of one: Moroccan chicken
                        Fish escabeche
                        Vegetarian Matzoh lasagna

Potatoes
Salad
Dessert

As always, Matzoh, wine, charoset and the Seder plate will be provided for each table.

 The meal will be served buffet-style, so there is no need to select an entree beforehand; however, we will need to know how many will be joining us, so a reservation is required. 

There is limited seating: please make your reservation on Eventbrite by April 19.
Click here to reserve your seat(s).

The cost is as follows:

 Members: Adults $75
Children (ages 5-12) $50

Non-members:     Adults $90
Children (ages 5-12) $65

If you need any assistance, please contact us.

 Doors will open at 5:30pm, Seder begins at 6.

LIFE ON GAZA'S BORDER

WITH SPECIAL GUEST YAHEL BEN-ARIS

Yahel Ben-Aris serves in the International Relations and Partnerships Department of the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council in southern Israel, which governs the kibbutz communities attacked by terrorists on October 7, 2023. Prior to October 7, Yahel managed the Israel-Gaza Economic Development Unit for cross-border collaboration and economic growth on behalf of the Palestinian residents of Gaza.

Yahel lives less than a mile from the Gaza border. His community was devastated on October 7, and he is at the forefront of efforts to rebuild in the aftermath of terror.

In this unique talk, Yahel will share about life on the border with Gaza before, during, and after October 7.

THURSDAY MARCH 28,
5 PM - 6:15 PM
LIHUE PUBLIC LIBRARY

This should be a very informative and powerful presentation.
We hope you’ll consider attending.

It’s PURIM on March 23! Come celebrate with us!

And JCK is having a Havdalah service, a delicious dinner prepared by Reouven Barzilai, and … all our favorite Purim traditions!

• Costumes and a parade - dress as Mordechai or Esther, or who do YOU want to be!

• Read the Megillah - and remember how courageous Esther was and saved our people!

• Grogars - so we can boo and drown out the name of Haman!

• Games and crafts!

• Eat lots of HAMANTASCHEN!!!

Please RSVP so we know approximately how many to prepare for: jewishcommunityofkauai18@gmail.com 

Where: St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Hardy Street, Lihue. Map.

When: Saturday, March 23, 2024

Time: 6:30pm

Shabbat Service - Saturday, January 20

Please join us for our first Shabbat gathering of the secular year on Saturday, January 20th, 10AM, at St. Michael’s in Lihue.  JCK is so pleased that Rabbi Judy Ginsburgh, visiting Kauai, will lead the service.  What a great honor!

Sandy Jennings of Fresh From the Garden will cater the Oneg Shabbat.  Due to another group using the Parish Hall, we will have the Oneg in the conference room; the service will still be in the sanctuary. (Consider bringing a lawn chair for seating for the Oneg, depending on how many folks attend the service.)

We look forward to the Rabbi’s teachings, music, and insights, and we look forward to seeing YOU on January 20th!  

Where: St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Hardy Street, Lihue. Map.

When: Saturday, January 20, 2024.

Time: 10:00 AM.

Rally for Israel - Tuesday, Dec 5

Rabbi Michael Goldman of Chabad Kauai is organizing the rally. All Jews are standing together for the release of the hostages, for peace, and for Israel.

Chanukah Celebration!

Please mark your calendars for Sunday, December 10 - it’s CHANUKAH!

Our annual Chanukah party will be at St. Michael’s, in Lihue, beginning at 5:30pm.

• Come celebrate the Festival of Lights and enjoy dreidels, gifts for the kids, music, lighting our menorahs for the second night, a magic show (!!) and being together.

• Dinner will be potluck, so please bring a main dish or salad to share. Desserts are a welcome addition to your other dish, too. JCK will provide paper goods, utensils, drinks, and LATKES! Don’t forget to bring your menorah and candles, though we’ll also have candles available for a nominal cost.

Matthew singer

Matthew Singer is a professional magician and mentalist from the island of Kauai, Hawaii. He combines sleight-of-hand with psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy to create miracles that are not only amazing, but also provoke thought and introspection. He started practicing magic when he was 5 years old, and at the age of 12,  was the youngest magician ever accepted into the prestigious Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, where he trained with  the world’s greatest magicians for a decade. Matthew prides himself on making people feel wonder and happiness through his artform. His performances will leave you thrilled and spellbound.

We’re looking forward to a joyous celebration of light overpowering darkness, where good triumphs over evil. These are fraught times when all Jews stand together with Israel for justice and peace. 

See YOU on December 10! 

Amen. Shalom. Aloha.     

Thanksgiving Lunches for Those in Need

JCK has joined the Kapaa Interfaith Association's endeavors to provide Thanksgiving lunches to those in need and the community.

Volunteers are needed:

Location for volunteers:  All Saint’s Episcopal Church Kapaa

1) 11/23 -- To help deliver lunches (2 people needed per car)  time frame:  11-1 (usually done before)

    Pick up lunches at All Saints; deliver to recipients.

2) 11/22 afternoon -- Set up   -- Exact times available later.

Please email us ASAP if you are able to help.

 Jewishcommunityofkauai18@gmail.com

Service Canceled - Friday, November 17

Due to unforeseen circumstances, JCK has decided to cancel the Shabbat Service originally scheduled for November 17 in Poipu.

These are very hard times for Israel, Jews, and all good people who seek justice and peace. Wishing you all a meaningful and restful shabbat.

In Memory of Phyllis Silverman

Phyllis Silverman, beloved mother of JCK member Sara Silverman, passed away on September 23, 2023.  Phyllis spent many winters on Kauai and joyfully participated in JCK events while she was on the island.

May her memory be a blessing.

Cellist Karen Hall

Karen Hall has been involved in music from the age of four, when she began piano studies. Cello became her primary instrument, and she graduated with high honors from the University of Illinois. She received her master’s degree from Texas Christian University, where she was already a member of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra cello section. During her forty-one years in Texas, she also performed with the Dallas Opera Orchestra and the Dallas, Houston, and Hawaii Symphonies. An avid proponent of historical performance, she was a founding member of Texas Camerata, performing on the baroque cello and the viola da gamba. She performed with these organizations in Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Paris, France (and Paris, Texas!), and numerous other cities in the U.S and Mexico.

Some of Karen’s most memorable and rewarding experiences come from performances of chamber music with her husband Kevin, a bassoonist. They formed the Hall Ensemble, which presented a series of house and small-venue concerts that appeared three times on the “Top Ten” classical music concerts of the year in Dallas-Fort Worth in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Karen and Kevin played chamber music for two raft trips through the Grand Canyon as well as several programs at Camp Denali, a wilderness resort in Denali National Park.

With The Cliburn, Karen served as a host for their elementary school education programs and has given pre-concert lectures for the Fort Worth Symphony and Kauai Concert Association. She is proud of a concert review that highlighted her “golly gee whiz attitude” and always hopes to share her excitement about music with other patrons.

After being frequent visitors to Kauai, Karen counts as one of her accomplishments moving to the island with Kevin and their two cats in June of 2020, at the height of COVID. Since then, she has enjoyed part-time retail work and volunteers as a Director on the Kauai Concert Association Board, as well as on her HOA board. She continues to perform as a cellist and enjoys singing with the Kauai Chorale.

Rabbi Laura Schwartz Harari

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Rabbi Laura Schwartz Harari has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College. She completed her rabbinical studies on the Los Angeles campus of The Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where she received her Master of Arts in Hebrew Letters in 2006 and rabbinic ordination in 2008.

Prior to her study for the rabbinate, Rabbi Harari had a distinguished career in Jewish Education for over twenty-five years.

Most recently, Rabbi Harari was Spiritual Leader of Temple Rodef Sholom in Waco, Texas. While in Waco, Rabbi Harari served as President of the Greater Waco Interfaith Conference, and on the Board of the Southwest Association of Reform Rabbis. She was also a member of the Ethics Committee of Providence Hospital and a regular instructor for Baylor University's Lifelong Learning Program.

Prior to that she was Rabbi of Congregation B'nai Israel in Jackson, Tennessee.

Rabbi Harari currently resides in Laguna Woods, California, and serves on the Board of the Pacific Association of Reform Rabbis.

Rabbi Harari is very proud of her daughter, Carmit, also a rabbi, who serves Congregation Shir Tikvah in suburban Chicago.

Rabbi Harari’s primary passion is helping others find meaning in being Jewish. She feels that the rabbinate is an excellent avenue for this. Her other passions include folk singing, guitar playing and Israeli folk dance.

High Holidays 5783/2023

Post updated on 9/3/2023 with additional details at the bottom.

The Holidays are quickly approaching!

We are honored to welcome Rabbi Laura Schwartz Harari to lead our congregation during the Ten days of Awe this year.

We surely hope you will join us for these holy days. The list of the services and other events is below.

All services will be at St. Michael’s and All Angels church in Lihue. Map.

Friday, September 15

7 pm - Erev Rosh Hashana service

Saturday, September 16

10 am - Rosh Hashana service

12 noon - Rosh Hashana lunch

1 pm - Taschlich

Saturday, September 23

10 am - Shabbat Shuvah service

12 noon - Shabbat Shuvah lunch

Sunday, September 24

7pm - Erev Yom Kippur service

Monday, September 25

~The sanctuary will remain open the entire day~

10 am - Yom Kippur service

3-5 pm - Discussion with the Rabbi

5 pm - Yom Kippur concluding services

7 pm - Break-the-Fast

---

Here are some specific details for Yom Kippur afternoon and evening:

After discussion with the Rabbi, depending on time, there will be an afternoon service, which includes readings from the Book of Jonah, Yizkor service and reading of the names of those who have died, and the Ne’ila (concluding) service.

Here is some additional information:

We are so fortunate to have cellist Karen Hall to play Kol Nidre, one of Judaism’s most poignant pieces of music.  Please see the following biography of this very talented, experienced and beautiful musician.

The Yiskor service, toward the end of the Yom Kippur services, is the time to remember the names of our loved ones who are no longer with us.  If you would like any names read during this service, please send them to JCK, PO Box 3749, Lihue, HI 96766 or in an email to jewishcommunityofkauai18@gmail.com

We are having three meals catered during these 10 Days of Awe.  Please RSVP by September 13, at the latest, (earlier is better) if you are planning to attend any/or all of them: 

Saturday, September 16, lunch, around 12pm

Saturday, September 23, lunch, around 12pm

Monday, September 25, break-the-fast, around 7pm

As a final note:

Jewish Community services is doing great work on Maui in support of the folks there who have lost so much.  If you would like to contribute to their efforts, here is the contact information: www.jcs-hi.org

This site will give you several options from which to choose.

Mahalo