By Dena Udren
Tzippy “Fern” Dobuler was a legendary gym teacher at the Jeannie Gluck High School Academy for Girls in Bet El. She started teaching gym classes there around 1992, two years after making aliyah with her young family, and she quickly touched the hearts (and helped improve the fitness) of countless girls in every grade at the school. At the end of November 2016, she passed away after a six-month battle with cancer, though she bravely fought and continued to teach right up to about a month before she died.
The Jeannie Gluck High School Academy for Girls built a new gym shortly before her passing and has since dedicated it in her memory. This week, Tzippy’s husband Avi, as well as all five children (Chaya Batya, Zev, Ilan, Arye, and Dovie), visited the gym and reminisced about how they could still feel her presence there.
We spoke to Arye Dobuler, one of Tzippy’s sons, to find out more about who Tzippy was and how she touched the lives of so many girls at the high school, as well as the greater community of Bet El.
Tzippy “Fern” Dobuler was a legendary gym teacher at the Jeannie Gluck High School Academy for Girls in Bet El. She started teaching gym classes there around 1992, two years after making aliyah with her young family, and she quickly touched the hearts (and helped improve the fitness) of countless girls in every grade at the school. At the end of November 2016, she passed away after a six-month battle with cancer, though she bravely fought and continued to teach right up to about a month before she died.
The Jeannie Gluck High School Academy for Girls built a new gym shortly before her passing and has since dedicated it in her memory. This week, Tzippy’s husband Avi, as well as all five children (Chaya Batya, Zev, Ilan, Arye, and Dovie), visited the gym and reminisced about how they could still feel her presence there.
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| Son Arye stands in front of painting of mother Tzippy, which hangs in the school's new gym |
Arye explained that this week was the first time all of the siblings were together since the one year memorial (two year ago), when the official dedication took place. He and his brothers visit Bet El and their mother in the cemetery more often, but his sister Chaya Batya lives in the USA. Together now for a short period for some recent family celebrations, they took the opportunity to visit Bet El together and the school of which Tzippy was so much an integral part.
He added, “It’s a momentous year because the 12th graders now are the last grade of girls who were taught by Ima (Mom). She was unique in the high-school in that she taught every single grade. She knew all the girls. She was like a rock star ‘Morah Tzippy! Morah Tzippy!’ they would call out to her happily in school or out of it (even years after they had graduated). She was truly dedicated to her girls and their well-being. Sports can sometimes be taken more seriously in the boys’ school as training for the army, but that didn’t deter my mom one bit. She took it extremely seriously, and would push the girls to try to do their best. She loved the high-school and the girls loved her back!”
Arye, welling up with emotion, tells of how his mother fought the cancer as hard as she could. “Until the end, we really thought she was going to make it. The final time she was taken to the hospital in early November, the doctors said to us, ‘Listen she most likely won’t survive the night, it’s time to say your goodbyes.’ Just that morning she had become paralyzed on her left side and couldn’t speak, but she shocked the medical team and survived three more weeks! Not only was there not a decline for most of that period, but over the next few weeks she became more active, smiled, and even said a few words here and there. It meant the world to me that she managed to say my name. She said it three times. When she passed away, it wasn’t until the last three days that she really accepted it, and just kept her eyes closed. During that final hour, she was surrounded by family, and I held her hand as we all tearfully sang Ayshet Chayil (Woman of Valor) and her other favorite Shabbat songs to her, and she was able to calmly pass. We knew that Ima is a fighter, but at the end Hashem wanted His angel with Him.”
Arye reminisces about his mother being an unbelievable person and ima. “I was blessed to have Ima for the period of time I had her. It is easy to just think about the sadness of losing her, but I try my best to focus on her incredible life. She worked at two high- schools, taught water aerobics at the [local Bet El] pool in the mornings, gave exercise classes to women at night, and also saw private fitness clients. Yet she still managed to keep the house looking amazing, her fantastic food was always prepared when we returned from school, and she somehow also found the time to spend quality time with [us] kids. Even though I knew how remarkable my Ima was, I found out about even more things she did after she died, like many acts of chessed (charity and kindness) in the community beyond that which I had known of. She was like a superwoman. I don’t know how she managed to do all of what she did.”
The new gym was dedicated in Tzippy’s memory and as befitting her boundless energy as a gym teacher, one must climb about 30 steps to enter the gym from outside. Since the gym is so large, it’s difficult to warm it up completely in the winter. But for Tzippy, that would not have been a problem. She would have encouraged the girls: “Come on, let’s go, we’re going to warm up by whatever exercises we do! Kadima banot!! Achat shtayim shalosh arbah!”
Today the gym has a picture of Tzippy on the wall, as well as a quote of hers that continues to inspire the girls (they have also made the quote into magnets). In addition to the photo and quote on the wall, Tzippy’s exercise routines are still up on the wall.
Here is the translation of Tzippy's quote (pictured below): Each one of us has so much to be grateful for, both to Hashem and also to those around us. Don't let yourself fall into self-pity. Not just because it's not pleasant to be around people [who are full of self-pity) but because it's simply not right to do so. Get up every morning and say thank you to Hashem for each and every blessing you have. Count each one, one at a time. This is our goal in life - to express our appreciation to the Master of the world. I work on this every day. You can too."
What is Tzippy’s legacy for the girls?
Arye answers: “Dedication to excellence, to always trying your best, to not just rest on your laurels but to push forward, to care for one another. So many times, when not at school, when she would see one of her students, she wouldn’t just say hello, but she would engage in a whole conversation! Often in my experience there is a big distance kept between teachers and students. There’s not much socializing. But Ima didn’t prescribe to that. She would be so happy to see them. She really cared about them. Her legacy is being true and authentic. She also believed in leading from the front, i.e, being the example. Instead of standing, watching the kids and telling them what to do with a whistle, she did it along with them. Despite towards the end being in her 60’s, she would still do it all with them- running, push-ups, sit-ups, etc... The girls would be shocked that Ima could usually do it better than them, even at her age!
Ima wanted the next generation of girls to be healthy, strong, confident. She was really able to do that and accomplish that throughout her years she was there. And I’m really proud of her.”
He added, “It’s a momentous year because the 12th graders now are the last grade of girls who were taught by Ima (Mom). She was unique in the high-school in that she taught every single grade. She knew all the girls. She was like a rock star ‘Morah Tzippy! Morah Tzippy!’ they would call out to her happily in school or out of it (even years after they had graduated). She was truly dedicated to her girls and their well-being. Sports can sometimes be taken more seriously in the boys’ school as training for the army, but that didn’t deter my mom one bit. She took it extremely seriously, and would push the girls to try to do their best. She loved the high-school and the girls loved her back!”
Arye, welling up with emotion, tells of how his mother fought the cancer as hard as she could. “Until the end, we really thought she was going to make it. The final time she was taken to the hospital in early November, the doctors said to us, ‘Listen she most likely won’t survive the night, it’s time to say your goodbyes.’ Just that morning she had become paralyzed on her left side and couldn’t speak, but she shocked the medical team and survived three more weeks! Not only was there not a decline for most of that period, but over the next few weeks she became more active, smiled, and even said a few words here and there. It meant the world to me that she managed to say my name. She said it three times. When she passed away, it wasn’t until the last three days that she really accepted it, and just kept her eyes closed. During that final hour, she was surrounded by family, and I held her hand as we all tearfully sang Ayshet Chayil (Woman of Valor) and her other favorite Shabbat songs to her, and she was able to calmly pass. We knew that Ima is a fighter, but at the end Hashem wanted His angel with Him.”
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| Daughter Chaya Batya (center) with daughter and husband |
The new gym was dedicated in Tzippy’s memory and as befitting her boundless energy as a gym teacher, one must climb about 30 steps to enter the gym from outside. Since the gym is so large, it’s difficult to warm it up completely in the winter. But for Tzippy, that would not have been a problem. She would have encouraged the girls: “Come on, let’s go, we’re going to warm up by whatever exercises we do! Kadima banot!! Achat shtayim shalosh arbah!”
Today the gym has a picture of Tzippy on the wall, as well as a quote of hers that continues to inspire the girls (they have also made the quote into magnets). In addition to the photo and quote on the wall, Tzippy’s exercise routines are still up on the wall.
Here is the translation of Tzippy's quote (pictured below): Each one of us has so much to be grateful for, both to Hashem and also to those around us. Don't let yourself fall into self-pity. Not just because it's not pleasant to be around people [who are full of self-pity) but because it's simply not right to do so. Get up every morning and say thank you to Hashem for each and every blessing you have. Count each one, one at a time. This is our goal in life - to express our appreciation to the Master of the world. I work on this every day. You can too."
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| Tzippy's quote, which hangs on the wall of the gym dedicated in her memory |
Arye answers: “Dedication to excellence, to always trying your best, to not just rest on your laurels but to push forward, to care for one another. So many times, when not at school, when she would see one of her students, she wouldn’t just say hello, but she would engage in a whole conversation! Often in my experience there is a big distance kept between teachers and students. There’s not much socializing. But Ima didn’t prescribe to that. She would be so happy to see them. She really cared about them. Her legacy is being true and authentic. She also believed in leading from the front, i.e, being the example. Instead of standing, watching the kids and telling them what to do with a whistle, she did it along with them. Despite towards the end being in her 60’s, she would still do it all with them- running, push-ups, sit-ups, etc... The girls would be shocked that Ima could usually do it better than them, even at her age!
Ima wanted the next generation of girls to be healthy, strong, confident. She was really able to do that and accomplish that throughout her years she was there. And I’m really proud of her.”
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| Tzippy's students at her one-year Yahrzeit (Hebrew reads: "Remembering") |