This is the last service that our Rabbi Raanan will lead services for JCM. Your presence would be much appreciated if you are able to attend to thank him for his dedicated time and service, wish him Shalom as he embarks on a new journey.
Please join us in person at JCM or on Zoom We look forward to seeing you!
There are not enough words to express the immense gratitude we have for the amount of support that we have received from our volunteers, many donors and our community partners - Jewish Community Services and the Jewish Federation of North America to help us provide relief to those who have been greatly affected by the wildfires and assist with us with our day to day at JCM. Thank you so much. We are very grateful.
As part of our relief efforts, JCM has become both a neighborhood donation drop-off and pick up center providing provisions to make it convenient for those in Kihei area.Please visit us at 634 Alulike St Kihei. There is a donation table stationed outside our entrance for those dropping off donated goods (non-perishable foods, bottlled water, clothing, baby items, hygiene items) When dropping off, please clearly write your name on the donation list so that we can acknowledge you on our newsletter and our Facebook page.
For other donations, we've had to slightly change our website Please visit - jcmmauijews.orgDonations can be made at https://mauijews.shulcloud.com/payment.php. From the "Type" drop down menu "Fire Relief Fund" is the first option.
If you or anyone you know needs assistance, please reach out to us at jcmmauijews@gmail.com or call 808-874-5397.
Mahalo nui loa for your kokua. Together we will rebuild and become a better and stronger Maui. Shabbat Shalom!
Elul & Shoftim: Returning & Restraint
Last night we had a beautiful last Torah study with me here at JCM. With it being the first of the Hebrew month of Elul, we took the time to have a deep conversation about repentance and what it means to each of us individually. We read the works of Rabbi Abraham Kook ז"ל, especially Lights of Teshuvah.
The book opens with the poem What is Teshuvah?
"Teshuvah means "return"; It is a return to the Eternal, the return to health, the return to our soul, the return to the universe, the return to a mended planet, the return to happiness, the return to home."
Such a return involves knowing how to practice restraint. We learn this from the weekly Torah portion which predicts that a day will when a new political power will emerge. The People will demand a king, a powerful leader. And not just any king, but “a king…as do all the nations” (Deut. 17:14) - i.e., the person to whom "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." The Torah seeks to limit the power of the kind so that such a king will not truly be like those of all the nations - a tyrant, elevated above the people. Our Torah portion demands that the king be subject to laws of morality and justice; that he remember that there is a King of kings above him; that he not take many wives, or accrue horses, and possessions.
We must practice restraint because as human beings we are motivated by deep urges that can get out of control very quickly. To translate the above lessons about the king to our lives, we must learn how to retrain our innate desire for power, our possessiveness, our tendency to exploit people & nature and our urge to control.
A Kabbalistic interpretation teaches us that the proper way to understand Job 26:7 is that the Eternal suspended the earth through restraint instead of the literal meaning of the word בלי-מה: 'nothing'). The Talmud (BT Chulin 89a) references this verse:
Rabbi Ile’a says: The world endures only in the merit of one who restrains themselves during a quarrel, as it is stated: “He hangs the earth upon nothing. Rabbi Abbahu says: The world endures only in the merit of one who renders themselves as if they were non-existent, as it is stated: “And underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27), i.e., one who considers themselves to be underneath everything else is the everlasting arm that upholds the world.
The power of a person who can retrain themselves during a quarrel is what keeps our world spinning. When we have the ability to negate our ego, we are actually elevated above ourselves.
Shabbat Shalom and Hodesh Tov (Happy New Month of Elul).
Mahalo nui loa to the members who have renewed their membership for 2023/2024 and those who have donated. We are very grateful for your support.
Memberships are a large part of what sustains The Jewish Congregation of Maui. Without it we would not be able to provide services especially on High Holidays or continue the Talmud Torah for the next generation.
To help you determine the best membership for you,the following are the different levels, dues and what it include: Single $600 1 vote Family $960 2 votes Associate No vote
In addition to renewing your membership, another great way to contribute is through Give Aloha! by Foodland which starts September. More details to follow as the program nears.
If you have any questions, please contact Kalo at jcmmauijews@gmail.com
Mahalo nui loa to our friends from the Church of Latter Day Saints and Hana Lynn who've been watering our garden. We still need volunteers to give our humble little garden some TLC so that it can really flourish! Also give our volunteers a break. Let us know how you can help Mahalo!
If you don't give today, how can we be here tomorrow?
You may not need us every day, or even every week. But when you want us, you need us to be here.
Please give a gift to JCM. We rely solely on donations/memberships to pay our bills, our salaries, and programming. Your gift now will ensure that our dynamic leadership team has the resources we need to be here for you and your Maui Jewish community.
Give with joy, give with pride, give today.
P.S. We're not spending money and using resources to send out letters, this is our ask and our reminder to you that we do not exist without you.
Pictured are items that were left behind at the congregation. If any of these items are yours,please contact Kalo. Anything that is not claimed before the high holidays,will be donated to charity. Thank you.
It is time to renew your membership for 5784: 2023-2024
Please take a moment to reflect on the value of having a pluralistic, inclusive, community-centered synagogue on our little, remote island.
What does that even mean?
Support of the Jewish life of your choosing- without judgment
We don’t talk about levels of observance
No one is “more Jewish” than anyone else
All have equal access to the Torah and lifecycle events
Welcoming to all with a flexible dues plan
Preserving meaningful traditions and open to creating new ones
A voice in the direction your community is heading
Kabbalat Shabbat Services will lead by Rabbi Raanan starting at 6:30pm
Saturday, Aug 19th
Shabbat Morning Services are suspended until further notice
Sunday, Aug 20th
Israeli Folk Dance cancelled until further notice
Refuah Schleima- Prayer For Healing
Click Hereif you or a loved one would like to be added for a prayer for healing each week. No names will be read aloud without permission... names can be said privately by the rabbi.
JCM is here to support you and your loved ones, please let us know how we can help.
Important Information Regarding our Cemetery Due to recent incidents, we have received news from the staff at the Jewish Cemetery that for safety reasons, the stones or tz'rors placed on the headstones will be removed once a week during cleaning. We understand any concerns you may have. If you would like more information, please email admin@mauijews.com or call 808-874-5397. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
Yahrzeits Aug. 13-19
Arnold Heiman Arthur Mehl Benjamin F. Mensh Daniel Bloom Edward Yehuda Krupnick Ernestine Brandes Gertrude August Irving Levin Jack M Sklar Justin Alan Nathan Les Barreaux Marilyn Teitelbaum Melvin Deichman Shirley Gordon Simon David Susanne Sydney Sydney Elfand Ted Kraftsow Zipporah Goldstein
Join us for services on Friday to recite Mourner's Kaddish
The Jewish Congregation of Maui Beit Shalom Synagogue Kihei, HI 96753
The mission of the Jewish Congregation of Maui is to support and inspire Jewish religious and cultural practices for Maui residents and visitors, provide and encourage Jewish education and life cycle services, and engage the Jewish community with religious services, classes, and events.
