Chabad on Kauai Island Celebrates Giving of Ten Comandments

KAUAI, HI — By the looks of the enthusiastic crowd that turned out to hear the Ten Commandments read at Chabad Kauai, it seems that everything is falling into place for the opening of its permanent center next year.

If you think that the secluded island of Kauai is the last place on Earth that a crowd would gather to hear the Ten Commandments read…


You’d be right.

Because to the dateline that slices today into yesterday falls right near Kauai, the rainforest covered Hawaiian island is just about the very last place anything happens on the planet. During this week’s holiday Shavuot, Chabad drew a group of thirty to a private vacation home in the south shore city of Poipu.

“It was wonderful. People came over from all walks of life. There was plenty of food, plenty of good cheer, plenty of everything. When people came, they did not want to go home so fast,” said Mike Cofsky. He and his wife Daisy hosted the holiday event.

Most who attended were year-round Kauai dwellers. For some it was their first encounter with a real Torah scroll. As night fell, the women rose to light the holiday candles, repeating the blessing after Daisy Cofsky. “The passion the Jewish community has for finding answers, for wanting to be involved, is amazing,” said Rabbi Aycee Abrahams, 24, who took leave of his job in New York to read the Torah in Kauai.

Chabad has brought about a change in the island’s Jewish community, which is estimated to be 1,000 strong, according to Dr. Francine Snyder, a psychotherapist. “There is an excitement as we look forward to the holidays, so we can come together, learn, pray and have sense of community.”

Article continued (Lubavitch.com)