Temple Emanu-El is a

Reform Jewish Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous searc ...

congregation in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

that was established in 1938, and joined the

Union for Reform Judaism The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms established ...

in 1952. The synagogue building at 2550

Pali Highway Hawaii Route 61, often called the Pali Highway, is in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States, that is the main highway connecting downtown Honolulu with the windward side of Oahu island. From downtown, it traverses up Nuuanu Valley and the resid ...

was consecrated in 1960 under the spiritual leadership of Rabbi Roy A. Rosenberg. The architect was Edward Sullam, and the builder was T. Takahashi. The sanctuary is decorated with 12 8-foot paintings by the New Mexico-based artist Alice Flitter.

Educational Programs

In addition to providing religious services on

Shabbat Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...

and on holidays, Temple Emanu-El offers various educational programs for children and adults. The School of Jewish Studies (SJS) provides Jewish religious and cultural education for students in

preschool A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school ...

through about 7th grade. Students typically graduate from SJS by having their b’nai mitzvah, after which several youth group experiences become available through 12th grade. Temple Emanu-El also offers a Torah Study program for adults.

The Kalakaua Torah and yad

Elias Abraham Rosenberg Elias Abraham Rosenberg ( he, אליאס אברהם רוזנברג; haw, Eliaka Apelahama Loselabeka; 1810 – July 10, 1887) was a Jewish immigrant to the United States who, despite a questionable past, became a trusted friend and adviser o ...

came to Hawaii from San Francisco in 1886. Accounts vary as to whether or not he ever used the title “Rabbi”, but he was never ordained.Adler, Jacob, "Elias Abraham Rosenberg, King Kalakaua's Soothsayer", ''Journal of Hawaiian History'', 1970, Vol. 4, p 56 He developed a friendship with King David Kalākaua, telling him stories from the

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...

and teaching him the

Hebrew language Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

. In 1887, Rosenberg returned to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

because of political unrest surrounding the

Bayonet Constitution The 1887 Constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom was a legal document prepared by anti-monarchists to strip the Hawaiian monarchy of much of its authority, initiating a transfer of power to American, European and native Hawaiian elites. It became k ...

in Hawaii. He left his

and

yad A yad (, literally "hand"; ''hant'', "hand") is a Jewish ritual pointer, popularly known as a Torah pointer, used by the reader to follow the text during the Torah reading from the parchment Torah scrolls. It is often shaped like a long rod, cap ...

(Torah pointer) with Kalākaua for safe-keeping.Tigay, Alan M., �
The Jewish Traveler: Honolulu
��, ''Hadassah Magazine'', Vol. 90, No. 5, January 2009, 28. The Torah and yad remained in the royal family. The

House of Kawānanakoa The House of Kawānanakoa, or the Kawānanakoa Dynasty, are descendants to the throne of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi. Origins A collateral branch of the reigning House of Kalākaua (from Kauaʻi island) and descendants of chiefs of areas such as ...

would lend the scroll to the Honolulu Jewish community for

High Holy Day The High Holidays also known as the High Holy Days, or Days of Awe in Judaism, more properly known as the Yamim Noraim ( he, יָמִים נוֹרָאִים, ''Yāmīm Nōrāʾīm''; "Days of Awe") #strictly, the holidays of Rosh HaShanah ("Jew ...

services until 1925 and possibly through the 1930s or into the 1940s. The yad eventually belonged to Kekaulike Kawānanakoa, granddaughter of Princess Abigail Kawānanakoa; Kekaulike gifted it to a friend who gave it to Temple Emanu-El in 1959. After the death of Princess Abigail Kawānanakoa in 1945, the Torah was given to

Flora Kaai Hayes Flora Kekulalani Kaai Hayes (April 17, 1893 – February 3, 1968) was a Hawaiian-American politician and actor. She served in the Hawaii Territorial House of Representatives for seven terms between 1938 and 1959, representing Oahu as a member o ...

for safekeeping. Following her death in 1968, she left it to her son, Homer A. Hayes. The location of the Torah had remained publicly unknown for 13 years after the donation of the yad, but was discovered in 1972 when Homer told Temple Emanu-El member

Samuel Landau Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transit ...

about the scroll. The Torah eventually passed into the Temple's ownership along with the yad. The Torah and yad are permanently displayed in the main

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a saf ...

Footnotes

References

* Adler, Jacob, "Elias Abraham Rosenberg, King Kalakaua's Soothsayer", ''Journal of Hawaiian History'', 1970, Vol. 4, pp 53–58. * "The King's Torah", ''Hana Hou'', August/September 2017

External links

Temple Emanu-El Official Website
Synagogues in Hawaii Religious buildings and structures in Honolulu Reform synagogues in Hawaii Jewish organizations established in 1938 Synagogues completed in 1960 {{Honolulu-stub