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'Glass Half-Full' Lifestyle

CANDACE C. MUNDY/TAMPA TRIBUNE

Chabad Lubavitch of Tampa Bay offers a range of educational and counseling services for the area's Jewish Community. Youths at the school learn about the traditions of Rosh Hashanna, and other High Holy Days, during classes. IN PHOTO--4 year old Mirel Rub

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By SEAN C. LEDIG, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 15, 2007

Updated: 09/15/2007 03:12 pm

NORTHDALE - The questions never stop for Yossie Dubrowski.

As a rabbi, he is often called upon to offer a Jewish perspective on a variety of topics from politics to current events to parenting. 'People can call with any question,' he said. 'People call to ask about what's going on in Israel, about whether the Israelis should give back territory or about dealing with terrorism.

'They call about issues of life and death, like abortion, or when Terri Schiavo was in the news,' he continued, referring to the Pinellas Park woman who died in 2005 after living in a vegetative state for many years.

'They might ask about what kind of book they can buy to read to a child,' Dubrowski said. 'Even with a child as young as one, you want to have a book of good morals and ethics.' For Dubrowski, director of Chabad Lubavitch of Tampa Bay, it is both a pleasure and a burden.

'If I'm not 1,000 percent sure, if I don't know the answer right away, I tell the caller that I'll get back to them within a half an hour,' Dubrowski said. 'But even if I do know the answer, I like to take my time to collect my thoughts, to be able to present the answer in a way that can be easily understood.'

The name Chabad Lubavitch refers to a branch of Hasidic Judaism. Chabad is an acronym for three Hebrew words that mean wisdom, understanding and knowledge.
Lubavitch refers to the Lyubavichi village in West Central Russia, in the Smolensk region just west of Moscow.

The idea behind a Hasidic life is to bring beauty and joy to life, Dubrowski said. It is a 'glass half-full' lifestyle that promotes optimism, he said.

'We always convey that whatever level you reach in your understanding of God, that you should take joy in that,' he said.

The center offers a range of services, including a school, educational programs for Jewish children and adults, and religious services at their temple, Bais Tefilah.

Sulha Dubrowski said the goal of their educational program is to provide a non-judgmental atmosphere, to accept people no matter where they are in their faith.

'We want to encourage parents that even if they are not observant of all the traditions that their children learn about here, we just want to enrich their lives,' she said. 'That way, their children will learn to make choices based on knowledge of their culture instead of ignorance.'

Like her husband, Sulha Dubrowski often finds herself counseling people who call the center.

'He is the rabbinical authority, but I can help as far as counseling, or to just be a friend,' she said. 'Mostly, people who call me are parents asking parenting questions or relationship issues. Or some people who are not married might feel lonely and want someone to talk to.'

The school offers secular instruction in all the usual subjects in any elementary school, including English, science and mathematics. But there are also classes in Judaica, where students learn Hebrew and about the history and traditions of their faith.

Ilana Gerbi, who is addressed as Morah, the Hebrew word for teacher, leads the children in a Hebrew song about Rosh Hashana. The song celebrates the end of the old year and the start of the new one, Sulha Dubrowski said.

'A year comes, a year goes,' she said, translating the song.

Gerbi, a native of Israel, said the children are quick learners of Hebrew despite being raised in America.

'It's a little hard,' Gerbi said. 'But they pick it up pretty quickly. They can recognize their names in Hebrew, and the holidays.'

In a recent class, students made prints with sliced apples in honor of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana. Apples are used to symbolize the holiday because they are sweet, Yossie Dubrowski said.

'We want a sweet new year,' he said.

AT A GLANCE

WHAT: Bais Tefilah at Chabad Lubavitch
WHERE: 14908 Pennington Road

SERVICES: 6:30 a.m. and sundown Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. and sundown Saturday; 9 a.m. and sundown Sunday; Holiday services, 10 a.m.

INFORMATION: Call (813) 963-6317 or www.chabadof tampabay.com

Reporter Sean C. Ledig can be reached at (813) 865-1507 or sledig@tampatrib.com.

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