The Jewish High Holidays begin on Wednesday evening, Sept. 4, with the observance of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, 5774.
The Jewish High Holidays begin on Wednesday evening, Sept. 4, with the observance of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, 5774.
Congregation Kona Beth Shalom will conduct holiday services at 7 p.m. that evening and again at 10 a.m. Thursday morning at its facility at The Shops at Mauna Lani, Suite 109 (second floor, next to Monstera). Following the service, congregants will gather at HoloHoloKai Beach Park at the Fairmont Orchid to observe the custom of Tashlich, when bread crumbs are cast into the water to symbolize casting away any sins.
At 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, Shabbat Tshuva will be observed at the home of Aviva and Yehuda Plaut in Kealakekua. At 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13, and beginning at 10 a.m. and continuing throughout the day on Saturday, Sept. 14, Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur will be observed at the Shops at Mauna Lani.
This year Rabbi Stephen S. Pearce, D.D., PhD, will lead the services, assisted by Shari Berman as cantor. Pearce served Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco from 1993 to 2013. Ordained at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, he earned his doctorate in counselor psychology at St. John’s University. Pearce has received multiple awards for his work fighting hunger, encouraging green sustainability and for interfaith dialog. He has been recognized three successive times by Newsweek as one of the 50 Most Influential Rabbis in the United States.
Berman, an educator and linguist, was president of Kona Beth Shalom for five years before accepting the position of associate professor at Hirosaki National University in Japan.
Congregation Kona Beth Shalom welcomes everyone seeking a connection with Judaism, whether religious, social, spiritual or educational. If you wish more information about the congregation or about High Holiday Services, see the website: www.konabethshalom.org or contact Una Greenaway, president, at JoinKBS@gmail.com.