Late Thursday afternoon before Passover, we were making the final preparations for the Seder, like the rest of the Jewish world. Unlike everyone else, we were doing our errands in a supermarket in picturesque Fiji.

The three of us, and the majority of the holiday essentials, had arrived from Melbourne, Australia, a five hour flight away. But we needed some more things to make the Seder—Chabad’s first on the island—a truly memorable one.

We were perusing the aisles, scanning for kosher products, when a young gentleman approached us, smiling broadly. “Hi, I recognize you from this morning’s paper!”

Part of our PR methods for the Seder had been to arrange an interview with The Fiji Times. Our story and picture had made it to the front cover. Had our efforts already born fruit? Could he be a potential Seder guest?

“Hi, yes, that’s right, that was us in the paper! Are you Jewish by any chance?”

“No, I am not.”

“Oh, okay. Would you perhaps know someone who is Jewish?”

He thought for a moment. “Yes, as a matter of fact I do! His name is Daniel. Let me get you his phone number.”

Abandoning our shopping carts for the moment, we raced outside to make the call. Daniel was actually a native Israeli, currently living in Brisbane, where he was in touch with the local Chabad rabbi. He was visiting Fiji to help his son with his business, and was thrilled that we had contacted him. Although he was on another island, four hours away, he told us that he would be delighted to join us for the Seder.

It was a warm and intimate affair, with a colorful cast of characters befitting a Fijian Seder. Daniel was our hero that evening—with his trademark Israeli humor, he ensured that everyone, including himself, had a great time. He kept the conversations flowing and regaled the crowd with tales from his army days.

At one point during the evening, he asked to say a few words.

“Friends, I’d like to express my deepest appreciation to these young Rabbis, for coming to this end of the world, to make a Seder here. They left their families and a comfortable holiday, so that they could spread Judaism to everyone. I think you’ll agree with me that they give us hope in our youth, and hope in the future of the Jewish nation!”