About Honolulu
Honolulu, on Oahu’s south shore, is capital of Hawaii, and gateway to the U.S. island chain. The Waikiki neighborhood is its center for dining, nightlife and shopping, famed for its iconic crescent beach backed by palms and high-rise hotels, with volcanic Diamond Head looming in the distance. Sites relating to the World War II attack on Pearl Harbor include the USS Arizona Memorial. Evidence of the first settlement of Honolulu by the original Polynesian migrants to the archipelago comes from oral histories and artifacts. These indicate that there was a settlement where Honolulu now stands in the 11th century. Modern air travel brings, as of 2007, 7.6 million visitors annually to the islands, with 61.3% entering at Honolulu International Airport. Today, Honolulu is a modern city with numerous high-rise buildings, and Waikīkī is the center of the tourism industry in Hawaiʻi, with thousands of hotel rooms. The climate produces mostly dry summer seasons, due to a rain shadow effect, and although the temperature stays almost the same all year round winters are much wetter. Honolulu has a few museums and art galleries, plus other tourist attractions including beaches, an aquarium and a zoo. Honolulu also annually holds the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF). It showcases some of the best films from producers all across the Pacific Rim and is the largest "East meets West" style film festival of its sort in the United States.
Jewish History, POI & Kosher Establishments in Honolulu
The first mention of Jews in connection with Hawaii was in 1798, when a sailor on the whaling ship Neptune recorded in the ships log that the Hawaiian king had come aboard and brought a Jewish cook with him! In 1901, 40 residents formed the first congregation, the Hebrew Congregation of Hawaii, which lasted about six years. Of the estimated 10,000 plus Jews who are permanent residents of Hawaii, a little over half live on Oahu and in the Honolulu area while the remainder is spread among the other islands. Maui has the second largest Jewish community and most of the others live on Hawaii. There are three synagogues in Honolulu, one Chabad, one Reform and one Conservative. You can buy kosher products in the shops, but there are no kosher restaurants or shops. Chabad provides kosher food if needed.
