• Where we are: Services are held at the Hawaiian Monarch Hotel, 444 Niu St. in Waikiki. The headquarters of Chabad Lubavitch of Hawaii is at 3430 E. Manoa Road in Manoa.

• Our numbers: Worship services at sundown every Friday and at 10 a.m. every Saturday draw about 65 people total.

• Our rabbi: Itchel Krasnjansky, who received training at Rabbinical College of America in New Jersey.

• What's special about us: "Chabad is unique from all other Orthodox groups in that it reaches out and embraces all Jews," Krasnjansky said. "As part of the Chabad philosophy, there are really no differences amongst Jews and we believe that every single Jew possess a soul, referred to as the 'neshama,' which ... is a divine spark within each and every one of us."

• Our history: Chabad Lubavitch of Hawaii was founded in 1987 by Krasnjansky and his wife, Pearl, both of whom came from Brooklyn.

For the first several years, members met at various locations in Kahala, and more recently, they began to gather for Sabbath and holiday services in Waikiki, now at the Hawaiian Monarch Hotel.

Members are hoping to open a new synagogue in Waikiki by the end of the year. They have been at the Manoa headquarters since 1997.

• What we believe: Jewish people live their lives by the Torah, their holy text, which, according to Jewish tradition, was given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai more than 3,000 years ago, Krasnjansky said.

"That is our guide in how we live our lives," he said, "and the mitzvahs, which are the commandments of the Torah, are the acts which we do to bring godliness into this world."

Chabad is an acronym in Hebrew for wisdom, understanding and knowledge, which are part of the philosophy of the movement. Members of Chabad believe in the central goodness and holiness within every Jew and the world.

The movement has been successful in reaching out to disenfranchised and alienated Jews who have left their traditional surroundings and have assimilated in the world, Krasnjansky said.

The movement has helped "to make them aware of their Jewish heritage, the Jewish teachings and the relevance and the meaning of Judaism," he said, "not only in the matter of keeping traditions of years gone by, but in a relevant and meaningful way to live one's life and to approach the world."

As orthodox Jews, they follow dietary rules, or keep "kosher," and strictly follow the Sabbath by not working, traveling, writing, doing business or carrying money after sundown on Friday through sundown Saturday.

They also maintain separate pews for women, and use Hebrew and English in prayer and ceremonies.

Orthodox Jews wear skullcaps (in Hebrew, either yarmulke or yarmulkah) at all times, not just during prayer services.

• What we're excited about: Chabad Lubavitch of Hawaii will celebrate Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, tomorrow evening through Monday evening at the Hawaiian Monarch Hotel. Yom Kippur is a solemn day marked by 24-hour fasting and prayer, Krasnjansky said.

"It's a day that stresses our deep bond that we have with God and the godly nature of the Jew," he said. "It's the opportunity to correct anything that we may have done wrong in the year gone by and it's the time of the year when we ready ourselves for the next year."

Services begin at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow with Kol Nidre, the Hebrew name of the opening prayer that ushers in Yom Kippur, Krasnjansky said. Monday prayer services begin at 10 a.m. and will continue on and off throughout the day until sundown. Break-the-fast will follow the evening service about 7:15 p.m.

• Contact: Call 735-8161, e-mail chabadofhawaii@aol.com or visit chabad.org.