Sep 1, 2005
Couple Organize Independent Jewish School
By JIM SLOAN
BRANDON With their Chabad of Brandon celebrating its first anniversary, a Brandon rabbi and his wife say it's time to take the area's Jewish life to the next level.
Mendel and Tzippy Rubashkin are starting Chabad Hebrew School for Jewish youngsters, the first such school in Brandon that is not affiliated with a synagogue.
"We want the children to walk away with a deep sense of Jewish pride," Mendel Rubashkin said. "They should know what it means to be Jewish and be excited by it."
Classes start Sept. 18. The couple are looking for a facility to rent. That should not be a problem, they said, adding that they can hold the school in their Brandon home for a while if necessary.
The couple also don't know how many children will enroll, but say that doesn't matter.
"There is no minimum enrollment," Mendel Rubashkin said. "If we have four children, we're willing to start. We don't need 50 children to open a school."
Mendel Rubashkin started Chabad of Brandon a year ago after he and his wife moved here from Brooklyn, N.Y. The organization fosters Jewish awareness through a range of weekly programs and workshops teaching participants, for example, how to make olive oil for Hanukkah and matzoh for Passover.
Mendel is director of Chabad of Brandon, which is financed through local contributions, and his wife will be director of the Chabad Hebrew School. Both willteach, Mendel the older children and Tzippy the younger ones.
The school will serve children 6 to 13, meeting two hours every Sunday until the end of the public school year. For an annual tuition of $325, youngsters will, among other things, learn the Hebrew alphabet, explore the meaning of Jewish holidays and discover how to apply Jewish values to their lives.
"They won't just be sitting at desks," Tzippy Rubashkin said. "It's going to be a little more exciting that that, with games and hands-on activities."
The school will be open to anyone, regardless of the level at which they observe Jewish laws.
"People right away ask us, 'Are you Reform or are you Orthodox?' " Mendel Rubashkin said. "We like to say we're Jewish. We let everybody choose their level of observance. We don't impose anything on them."
The Beth Shalom Jewish Temple on Bryan Road has a Hebrew School, but the Rubashkins said the Chabad Hebrew School will be available to Jews who have no synagogue affiliation.
"Someone who didn't belong to a temple didn't have that opportunity before," he said. "We welcome the Jewish community with open arms and a smile."
While they have no idea how many children they will have their first year, the couple said the Hebrew school is here to stay.
"We don't have jobs," Mendel Rubashkin said. "This is our job. We've dedicated our lives to the Jewish community here in Brandon.
"We'll continue as long as there is a response. We're here for the long run."
HOW TO ENROLL
•Registration is open at Chabad Hebrew School for the 2005-06 school year.
•Classes will be from 10 a.m. to noon Sundays starting Sept. 18. Annual tuition is $325, which includes textbooks and other materials.
•The school is open to children 6 to 13. Membership or affiliation with a synagogue is not required.
•For an enrollment form or for information, call (813) 657-9393 or log on to www.chabadbrandon.org.This story can be found at: http://brandon.tbo.com/brandon/MGB19X952DE.html
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