Editor’s Note: Kona Beth Shalom, an unaffiliated congregation in West Hawaii, has — and always has had — a physical location. That was incorrectly reported in a previous version of this story. Barry Blum, past Kona Beth Shalom president, said in an email Friday “it’s perhaps grammatically correct that there has never been a facility called a synagogue on the Big Island” but the congregation has “used many different structures for Jewish worship on the Big Island ever since the early 1980s, but we’ve never owned our own facility.” Blum said “We certainly want to have our own synagogue some day and we have a growing building fund dedicated to that purpose.” The Tribune-Herald regrets the error.
Members of East Hawaii’s Jewish community have launched an effort to build Hawaii Island’s first synagogue.
Ahava ‘Aina, a nonprofit established in June 2016, kicked off a fundraising effort this fall to either build, purchase or rent a synagogue/community center facility in Hilo.
The nonprofit has raised about $5,000 so far, with a goal of $700,000, said Ahava ‘Aina founder Rabbi Rachel Short last week.
“Our goal is really to create a Jewish cultural community center,” Short said. “It also would be an activities facility, a place to host bat mitzvahs, weddings and community events. The potential is kind of very open. So whether it’s an (existing) location in Hilo and build up or build out, that’s a goal — to make it a cultural community center with a synagogue.”
Short said she’d like to see a facility up and running within about a year or two, under a likely plan to first “rent a space temporarily while we build or buy.” She hopes to see a permanent location established within two to five years.
The project has the support of prominent East Hawaii community members including state Sen. Russell Ruderman, D-Puna, and Hawaii County Prosecutor Mitch Roth, both Ahava ‘Aina board members.
“The need for a synagogue/community center is for the same reason we have a need for churches and hongwanjis,” Ruderman said last week, adding he practices Judaism “loosely speaking.” “It’s a place for people to gather. There’s never been a synagogue on this island to my knowledge, and there’s a pretty large Jewish community here, but we’re not very organized and one of the reasons is we don’t have a place to congregate. It’s a way of bringing people together and keeping a faith alive.”
“We’re very excited to work with Rachel and have people find God in whatever religion they want,” Roth added. “No matter what the religion is — Christian or Muslim or Jewish or Hindu — they all have very similar findings of treating people with dignity and respect — the ‘Golden Rule.’ And I think that’s really important for a safe and healthy community.”
Hilo previously was home to a congregation called “Temple Aloha,” though it’s since disbanded. Several Holocaust survivors also are said to have resided on the Big Island.
West Hawaii is home to an unaffiliated Jewish congregation called Kona Beth Shalom.
It’s unclear how many isle residents identify as Jewish. In mid-2016, Barry Blum, past president of Kona Beth Shalom, estimated there were up to 1,000 Jewish people residing on the island either full or part time.
Short said she thinks that number has since grown as more Hawaii Island children are born into Judaism. She said up to 1 in every 3 people she meets on the island are Jewish or “has a connection to Judaism in some way.”
Ahava ‘Aina has hosted a range of community events since its launch. On Sunday, it hosted a first-ever Hanukkah candle-lighting festival and gathering at Sweet Cane Cafe in Hilo. More than 100 people attended, Short said.
“We’re growing as an island community,” Short said. “And the more activities (and) events we put out there, the more people are attending and saying, ‘All right I’m here’ and they decide, ‘I want this for my children, myself and the community.’”
A synagogue “would be for all denominations all over the island,” she added. “That’s the goal. Everyone wants a place of healing. So it would be a way to bring everyone together.”
Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
