SHAKA AND SHALOM: More Jewish Contributions to Hawaii

By Xlibris US

This book continues to trace the beneficial crosscurrent’s that Jewish people brought to Hawaii arrival beginning in 1850 to the present. Such benefits were first chronicled in a prior book titled Torah & Taro. Unburdened by any need to proselytize or be in charge, Jews were free to be themselves and to provide their host community with needed services. Their faith's essence found in the Sh'ma (God is one) and the Decalogue and their historical experience as the ‘other’ in their countries of residence provided appropriate guidance. In some detail and in historical and cultural perspective Shaka and Shalom describes the many good deeds, advantages, and programs that people of Jewish heritage have brought to Hawaii. And how Hawaii in its spirit of Aloha accepted, encouraged, nurtured, and recognized such benefits.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 4, 2024
• ISBN: 9798369418048

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Copyright © 2024 by Mathew R. Sgan.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 04/04/2024

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

858735

CONTENTS

Dedication

Books by Author

About the Author

Glossary of Terms and Understandings

Prologue

Chapter 1: Monarchs, Missionaries, and Migrations

Chapter 2: Territory, Terrain, and Tariff

Chapter 3: The Labor Movement: Arthur Rutledge

Chapter 4: A Case in Point: Ron Gess and People Who Clean

Chapter 5: A Case in Point: Herm Salz and Salz Lock & Safe

Chapter 6: More Jewish Contributions to Hawaii

Chapter 7: Epilogue

Appendix A: 19Th Century Hawaiian Jews

Appendix B: Hawaii Cemeteries and Jewish Burial Sites

Bibliography

Front Cover: Images related to Shaka and Shalom. Background beaches on the Pacific Ocean (surfboards) and Israel on the Mediterranean Sea (solid rackets and balls.) Also pictured are a Hawaiian Conch and a Jewish Shofar. Both instruments were used for similar purposes in the antiquity of the two ethnicities. Photos of the Conch and the Shofar are courtesy of Gregg Kinkley.

Back Cover: Three flags on the Sandra and Donald Armstrong Sukkot (booth.) Photo is courtesy of Arnold Warshawsky.

DEDICATED TO

Dr. Mabel Lum ‘Gin’ Sgan 1930-2015

Meira bat Abraham V’Sarah

Devoted and Beloved Mother of

David Sgan and Laurel Jade Sgan-Kibel

Grandmother of

Jonathan, Susanna Ming, and Grant Kibel

Aulani and Anuhea Sgan

BOOKS BY AUTHOR

Boston Book of Sports From Puritans to Professionals (Xlibris 2009)

Fried Matzah for Breakfast A Family Memoir with brother Dr. Arnold Sgan (z’l); Niece Karen Small Brody (z’l)), and Cousin Arlene Diamond General (Print 2015)

Honey and Poi The Origins and Development of Congregation Sof Ma’arav in Honolulu Hawaii Sof History Project Co-Coordinator Dr. Alex Golub (Xlibris 2018)

Honey and Poi Appendix (2018)

Torah and Taro Jewish Contributions to Hawaii (Xlibris 2020)

American Football and Passover A Playlet About Plagues (GoldTouch Press 2021)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

One might call me a Judeophile since I so often look and find some sort of Jewish heritage in an extraordinary number of people doing creative things.

In fact, I have reversed the approach in some instances. Instead of recognizing an important act, event, or leadership accomplishment, and researching it to find out if the person doing such an act is of Jewish heritage, I look at an important person expecting to find a Jewish connection. Of course, the percentage of success in establishing a "Jewish connection’ is often fruitless, but sometimes a connection is found.

Recently in Spain, I visited the Dali Museum and learned of Salvador’s wife Gala, to whom he was devoted as his muse, lover, and art dealer. He attributed much of his success, as perhaps the most important Surrealist painter of the 20th Century, to her. She was of Jewish heritage. former U.S.

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Hillary Clinton, Elvis Presley, and Bruno Mars, it turns out, have Jewish heritage to name just a few surprises.

The being born, growing up, learning, family factors of my life are well recorded in my prior books. More information is also included in my profile in the Individualized section of this book. I am very fortunate to have attended and attained degrees from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Colgate University, and Cornell University and Certificates of Advanced Study from Stanford and Harvard. The cows, horses, and chickens, with which I often spoke while a child tending to them on my grandparent’s farm, would be amazed! Behind every successful farm boy, there is a startled rooster!

Herein I most wanted to present my amazement at what the Jewish people in defiance of their cultural surroundings have contributed to the world. And when unleashed as in 20th Century America, what they have meant to that nation.

In this book, I provide yet further proof to mitigate against the evil that seems to arise periodically which associates Jews with being parasitic, non-grateful, and burdensome to those societies and nations that have made room for them. Of course, there are criminals, liars, and cheats among Jews, but on balance Jewish contributions by far outweigh these failures.

My vehicle for conveying that orientation is to research Jewish contributions to Hawaii.

My state offers an excellent platform for doing so. Even with its small Jewish population, I tired often just keeping up with the information I was discovering. In light of history and the Jews, Hawaii deserves special credit for its acceptance, tolerance and nurturance of people of Jewish heritage within its population. In turn, Hawaii has benefitted from that wholesome and healthy relationship.

I consider that Shaka and Shalom and my prior books Honey and Poi as well as Torah and Taro as successors to Kirk Cashmere’s important work The History of the Jews if Hawaii.

They are also, hopefully, a link to further chronicling of the Hawaii Jewish story.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND UNDERSTANDINGS

I have attempted to introduce and reintroduce when appropriate the acronym for any organization mentioned in the book. I have, however, in the interests of space and word flow used acronyms in many of the sections. In order to assist the reader, I am listing the acronyms used most often. It is an effort to enable to the reader to locate the name of an organization with some ease.

PROLOGUE

Why this Successor Book

I did want to get my idea for a book about the contributions of Jewish people to Hawaii in the works and given my senior status was unsure as to how long I had to do it. So, I did considerable, but not complete research into important people, who had records of significant accomplishments for Hawaii. I came up with a distinguished and formidable list which proved the thesis found in the subtitle Jewish Contributions to Hawaii.

My investigation proved fruitful and I shared the results in my book Torah and Taro.

But I had only scratched the surface. Further investigation was called for and the archives at Temple Emanuel were like a siren call to do more. Readers and friends brought names and accomplishments to my attention and to the availability of additional prime sources of information. I decided to write a successor book which I titled Shaka and Shalom More Jewish Contributions to Hawaii (S & S.)

I should now mention my keen disappointment with the private publisher with whom I signed a contract for the original publication of S & S. I thought that I had done my due diligence in researching the options available, but my decision did not work out. Without rehashing all my unanswered calls and misunderstood instructions, I can honestly say that it was an excruciating experience, which led to an unsatisfactory result. I made the decision to publish this new and revised edition of S & S with a new company.

Who’s In; Who’s Not In

The materials I found in the files of the Temple Emanu-EL (TE) archives as compiled by Larry Steinberg did not disappoint. I spent hours, days, and weeks reading documents, clippings, letters, reports, and newsletters. I enlarged and enhanced my coverage of Jewsih people who made valuable contributions to improve life in Hawaii and beyond while residents of Hawaii. Some such people contributed to Hawaii through their accomplishments elsewhere.

I had to limit those who were to be listed and kept making the criteria of being included more rigorous. I also decided not to include any folks who did wonderful things, but who did them solely within the Jewish community. A case could be made that helping the Jewish community to succeed would result in a benefit for Hawaii. I was, however, not willing to accept