Jere and his daughter, Tomi

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Jere Krischel?

Jere sitting at his desk in front of an Ibanez ATK 305

I am the father of son, Cameron Krischel and daughter, Tomi Krischel, and husband of Amani Krischel. My father is Walter Benavitz; my mother is Kathleen Masunaga. I have 4 brothers (Jon, Benny, Micah and Michael) and 2 sisters (Emily and Evelyn).

What is Jere Krischel's relationship to Hawaii?

I was born at Kapi`olani Hospital, and raised in Hawai`i. I have lived in Pauoa, Kaneohe, Red Hill, Makakilo, Wahiawa and Poamoho Camp. I attended Playmate School in Makiki, and Punahou School from kindergarten to 11th grade before attending the University of Southern California on an early admissions program. I worked as a paper boy in Wahiawa from 1985-1987, picked pineapple for Del Monte on summers and weekends throughout high school, and used to take the bus all the time (83 and 92 express, 52, 50 and 4 mostly).

How did Jere Krischel get interested in this project?

Early in 2004, while reading the Honolulu Advertiser online, I became more and more concerned about the impending Akaka Bill and the hatred preached by some of the more hard core sovereignty activists. In the course of researching the issue, and participating in online forums debating the subject, I always reached a blank wall when trying to find digital versions of the Morgan Report, a critical piece of the history around the overthrow.

Unbeknownst to me, others interested in opposing the sovereignty movements and race-based programs in Hawaii had come across my posts on various blogs and forums, and after some email dialogue about the dearth of online information regarding the Morgan Report, I volunteered to use my technical skills to scan, ocr and post the entire Morgan Report online, if someone would get me a copy. Thurston Twigg-Smith sent me a personal copy of a 100+ year old book via FedEx, and the rest is history.

What are Jere Krischel's motives?

First and foremost, as a human of many ethnicities and nationalities, I have a strong aversion to any racial categorization. The thought of being defined by one's ancestry is anathema to me. Although some may wish to label themselves "indigenous" to one area or another, it is my firm belief that ultimately we are all descendants of immigrants and indigenous to the planet earth, and we should treat one another with equality and respect no matter where the bones of our ancestors are interred.

As an American, from a country with a history born of the rejection of hereditary title and monarchy, I strongly believe in the ideals of human equality. Although the United States has not always been perfect in implementing the 14th amendment, it is an ideal to which I believe we should all aspire.

As a Hawaiian, from an island chain with a legacy of many cultures melding together, I am proud of the example of our land. When people from the mainland talk about a "melting pot", they usually mean you can get any kind of ethnic food within 15 miles of home - people in Hawai`i mean you can get any kind of ethnic food within 15 feet of one kitchen, or within 15 inches of one plate.

As a scholar, I also have a strong interest in Hawaiian history, which has been further sparked by my recent participation in the debate over the issues of the 1893 overthrow, race-based government programs in Hawai`i, and the impending Akaka Bill. My father, Walter Benavitz, was a member of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, and participated in the 1987 tour of the Hokule`a. My school, Punahou, was a place of history drawing back to 1841 with a strong Hawaiian studies component.

All of these motivations brought me to the decision that I could no longer remain silent, and allow the racial supremists to dominate the dialogue. Witnessing the current tone and tenor of particular extremists on the issue, those activists inspired the "activist" within me.

It is my sincere hope that with enough constructive discussion, we can overcome our frailties, realize the complexity of "historical truth", and move beyond the politics of identity. We can and should live in a world that tackles humanitarian issues in a needs-based, race-blind manner.

What are Jere Krischel's ethnicities?

Direct descent - Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Filipino, German, Irish, French.

Extended family - Portuguese, Kanaka maoli, Jewish, Russian, African, Lebanese, and Native American.

But if asked what my race is, I am human, just like everyone else.

Who does Jere Krischel work for?

I have worked at Kaiser Permanente in Information Technology since 1997. Starting as a programmer, I now manage a programming team that does eXtreme Programming (XP), J2EE and web development throughout the organization.

Did Jere Krischel get any money to work on this project?

No. I have done work on this project in my free time, and I pay for the hosting costs out of my own pocket. I have neither asked for compensation, nor been offered compensation for my efforts opposing race-based programs and the various Hawaiian sovereignty movements.

What has Jere Krischel done on this project?

I installed and configured the mediawiki software as well as various upgrades to it. I also scanned in every page of the Morgan Report, and uploaded both the raw images and the OCR text to the wiki.

As Editor-in-Chief, I have worked in conjunction with other contributors in correcting OCR mistakes and formatting the raw text for the wiki, and helped with some of the detailed analysis of the report.

Is this the same Jere Krischel that contributes to Wikipedia?

Yes.

Is this the same Jere Krischel that played in the Toby Semain Band?