By Sara Appel-Lennon
Rabbi Rafael “Rafi” Andrusier grew up in Staten Island, New York in a Chasidic family, part of the Chabad-Lubavitch sect of Judaism. Chabad is a Hebrew acronym for wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.
“Chabad’s mission is to reach out to every Jew, no matter how far — unconditional love and concern for every individual regardless of background and affiliation,” Andrusier said.
At 9 years old, Andrusier felt inspired to become a rabbi. He remembers volunteering with classmates to distribute menorahs in Manhattan during Chanukah.
“I found a sense of achievement through enabling people to rediscover themselves,” he said.
In 2009, Andrusier was ordained and attended rabbinical seminary in Brunoy, France, a suburb of Paris. He has led congregations in Chicago, Toronto, Brooklyn in the U.S. and in Japan, Croatia, and Peru abroad — all by age 30.
He has been a rabbi in San Diego since 2012 and currently leads services in a San Carlos home and does outreach to as far as El Centro. He also teaches, consults, counsels, and does fundraising.
“I wear a lot of hats,” he said.
Andrusier will add another hat in November when he will begin teaching a three-part series of classes to make quality adult Jewish education more available to the community.
The courses are geared for counselors, doctors, and lawyers to “blend Jewish wisdom and modern thought” to their careers.
The courses will be taught in different languages including Braille. Each class in the six-week series will be taught during the same week in 27 different countries and 622 communities. This allows participants to continue their studies even if they are traveling abroad.
The courses will consist of class discussions and some homework assignments, although they won’t be graded. An opportunity to earn nine continuing education credits with six additional, is available after completing supplementary readings and passing a test.
The classes are sponsored by Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI), Chabad’s largest adult education division. JLI’s mission is to “make Judaism accessible,” said Andrusier.
In November, Andrusier will teach the first class, “How Success Thinks: Jewish Secrets for Leading a Productive Life.” It is a six-week class based on Jewish teachings and behavioral psychology. The goal is to help create better relationships between mental health professionals and Jewish clients by understanding their beliefs and way of life.
“How Success Thinks” is based upon research by The FastTrack Project, a 20-year intervention program. It was designed to help kids who struggled with academic and behavioral problems. College and public school staff tutored kids in reading and placed them in friendship enhancement and social skills training groups. Parents joined training groups to learn behavioral management techniques. They learned problem solving skills during home visits. The findings showed coaching students in this way alleviated many behavioral problems.
Similar success strategies will be explored for adults in the “How Success Thinks” course. The course will address how to handle difficult life situations and techniques will be taught to develop a success mindset by creating action steps and planning strategies to overcome obstacles.
In January, Andrusier will teach the second set of classes, “Talmud Interactive, Ethical Conundrums. Ancient Debates. Your Solutions.” Students will examine legal case studies, discuss them, and draw their own conclusions.
To mark 50 years since the Six-Day War in Israel, the last course is “Survival of a Nation: Exploring Israel through the Lens of the Six-Day War.” This class addresses why Israel is important to Jewish people, by understanding their connection to the land, people, and heritage.
—Sara Appel-Lennon is a creative writing instructor, children’s author and a former professional clown. Her website is sara-appel-lennon.vpweb.com.
