Rabbi's Derasha

I am Yitzchok Feldman, a rabbi in Palo Alto, and, together with R’ Yossi Marcus of Chabad in San Mateo, we will try together to guide us through today’s farewell to the physical presence of Dudu Habib, a”h, David Baruch ben Yitzchok V’Simona.  

The order today will be that I will provide a brief sketch of Dudu’s biography and then other speakers will fill in the picture.  We will hear from his wife, his brothers, and a dear friend, in addition to R’ Marcus.

But before I tell his story, I want to pause to point out that we are here together right now, less than 24 hours after his passing.  That is because of a concerted effort by the Sinai team, with Robert and Liz leading the way, and by the Tahara team here in San Francisco, with R’ Moshe Langer at the forefront, after a handoff from the South Bay Chevra Kadisha.  Together, we tried to stay true to a bedrock principle in the treatment of the deceased, which is to arrange a Jewish funeral with all due speed. This too is part of the honor we pay to the deceased.  We show our care for the soul, which is in turmoil as it separates from the body, and is afforded some relief only when the body is able to unite with the ground.  

Everyone involved in this concerted effort knows just how important such treatment was to Dudu.  Once he knew that that was what Jewish tradition asked of us, he put his iron will, his ingenuity, and his boundless energy to work to make it happen.  He was an example par excellence in doing so many Chasadim but this was the pinnacle, a true Chesed of Emet.  That we all know how to do this, and how to prioritize it, is one of Dudu’s lasting legacies.  Sam Salkin understood as well, and that was crucial, but one needs an operative as effective as Dudu to actually make sure it’s not just a goal but a reality.

Dudu was born in the spring of 1978 in Netanya, the Bechor (the first born) of his parents, but also the first grandchild of both sets of grandparents.  His first brother, Ronny, followed 3.5 years later, also in Israel, and then Nahtee 8 years later.  But by then the family lived in Brussels, where Itzik’s work had taken them a few months before Nahtee was born.  By the time they moved to the Bay Area, Dudu had only one more year left of high school.  People often define where they are from by where they went to high school.  But with Dudu, the “where are you from” comes from Tzahal, the Israeli Defense Forces.  That formative experience was as a lone soldier in the armored brigade #188 in southern Lebanon in the late 90s, toward the brutal end of the first Lebanon War.  There he saw service which was harrowing, a severe challenge of both body and soul.  But it was also there that he showed that no challenge defeated him.

When he returned to the area, he finished a degree in Finance and Administration at Foothill and Notre Dame, where he also fought the good fight in terms of Advocacy for Israel.  Returning to the area, he also resumed his leadership at Tzofim, from where so many were able to benefit from his consummate style of leadership -- firm yet friendly, with a healthy dose of humor.  

His wish to contribute to the Jewish community was what brought him to his work at Sinai Memorial Chapel.  It became his passion as well as his profession, to bring comfort to members of the Jewish community at a time of deep need.  That work brought him into the wider Jewish community, where he worked with clergy and families of all kinds.  

Known as a mensch all around, he was also ready to move on in life, marrying Shoshi in late 2008.  They welcomed precious Edo the next year.