The way Mathew Sgan sees it, writing a book about the growing pains and high points of Congregation Sof Ma’arav over the past 45 years could not wait for a more auspicious anniversary.

Many of the voices of the synagogue’s pioneers have already been silenced by illness or death, he said. “I felt the world is escaping us of that memory that we could count upon. Memories were part of our basic building material.”

He and Alex Golub, a Sof member and associate professor of anthropology at the University of Hawaii, started working on “West of the Sea: Congregation of Sof Ma’arav” in July 2015 and plan to wrap up the book in December. The congregation’s board of directors will then decide how to proceed.

With the exception of a cookbook, there are few, if any, published books about Jews in Hawaii.

“I just felt like, we’re part of the community, we’ve been here back to the 19th century and played a role in the kingdom, and that story is untold,” Golub said. “When you start asking around, there are so many great stories, there are so many great personalities.”

Sof Ma’arav (which means “west of the sea,” in reference to a famous Judah Halevi poem) was established in 1971 with almost 25 members.

Known as the “westernmost member of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism,” it now includes some 130 people who meet every Saturday in rented space at the First Unitarian Church of Hawaii at 2500 Pali Highway. The synagogue is run by volunteers.

The book focuses on Sof Ma’arav’s journey, shining a spotlight on how Oahu’s small Jewish community has forged a cultural identity here.

Allegra Goodman, daughter of Lenn and Madeleine Goodman, is quoted in the book: “I understand now how hard my parents and some of the other (founders) were trying to build a community. … I see what energy they put into being Jewish … without the infrastructure institutions that people take for granted in larger Jewish communities.”

Sgan came to Hawaii in 2000 with his wife, Mabel Gin Ming Lum, a Jewish convert who died of cancer in September. The couple joined Sof Ma’arav in 2002, impressed that it was homegrown “by a group of military civilians and academic people in the 1970s. It was all hands-on,” Sgan said.

Golub agreed. “It’s a pretty incredible achievement to keep a group like this going this long on a volunteer effort,” he said. “And for a community this size to have a shul (synagogue) that is so active and successful is really good.”

Sgan describes the group as well-organized, with everyone taking on weekly duties for the service. Some of the members trained in chanting, singing and reading from the Torah before joining the group, while others had not.

“The growth of people within the synagogue has been amazing,” he said.

Golub said learning the faith’s rituals requires discipline. Some lay members are meticulous in their efforts to accurately read and chant from the Torah, he said.

“Some of our members just sit in the back, close their eyes and just listen to the chants. It just reminds you of home, the sounds and the melodies. When you learn to chant Torah, a lot of the chants are in you already because you grew up listening to them.”

Golub, who was raised in a traditional Jewish home, said he wants to keep his culture alive on Oahu. There are about 8,000 Jews on Oahu; 2,000 are affiliated with a synagogue, he said.

“That means 6,000 wandering Jews.” he quipped. “I want to grab them and bring them in and say: ‘This is good for you.’ It’s a good way of life. That’s why we keep doing it.”

Sof members Judy Goldman and Davida Skigen published a cookbook in 1989 titled “When You Live in Hawaii You Get Very Creative During Passover Cookbook,” which exemplified the spirit of Jews fitting into a place where most grocery stores don’t carry a full lineup of kosher foods. The book became a successful fundraising venture.

Sgan, who also penned “The Boston Book of Sports” in 2009, said he and Golub have combed through documents, newsletters and scraps of memorabilia, and interviewed dozens of old-timers from their synagogue as well as those at other Jewish congregations.