Obituaries

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Love Of Music
And Judaism

Cantor Stephen Dubov: His voice was "exquisite."

S-helli Liebman Dorfman

Staff Writer

A

t age 55, Cantor
Stephen Dubov was
in many Ways in the
prime of his life.
After traveling a long profes-
sional road that led him from
television, movies and stage
to the cantorate, he had just
launched a new life adventure: A
move to Florida as the cantor of
a 1,500-family synagogue.
"He could never sit still; he
always had to be doing some-
thing:' said his wife, Christine.
"He was a cantorial soloist and
taught Sunday school from his
senior year of high school and
all during college.
"But when he went to start
cantorial school, he arrived a
day early and used the waiting
time to audition for a Broadway
show. When he got the part, his
life went in a different direction
— for a while."
Cantor Dubov's early career
included a role as a regular on

the daytime drama Guiding
Light, appearances in 152 films

as well as live performances
in Israel and on Broadway and.
with opera companies and the
Los Angeles and New Orleans
philharmonics.
Eventually, his love of music
and immersion in Judaism and
spirituality brought him back
to New York, where he received
cantorial investiture from
Hebrew Union CollegeLJewish
Institute of Religion School of
Sacred Music (HUC-JIR), the
same school he almost attended
years earlier.
Cantor Dubov also held a
bachelor's degree in music edu-
cation from the University of
Miami and a master's degree in
sacred music from HUC-JIR.
This past Shabbat, he par-
ticipated in Friday night and
Saturday morning services with
his new congregation — Temple
Beth El in Boca Raton, where he
had served since July 1.
On Saturday night, he
returned to his West Bloomfield

home to help his family. get
ready to join him in Florida. He
died suddenly Sunday morning,
Aug. 6, 2006, of an aortic dissec-
tion — a tear in the wall of the
aorta, the major artery carrying
blood from the heart. .
"Steve was my role model as
to what a cantor can be on the
pulpit:' said Cantor Mark Childs,
a former cantorial school class- .
mate of Cantor Dubov.
"He knew that the difference
between an opera singer or
stage performer and a cantor is
the ability to engage people one
on one, not as a group from the
stage.
"His warmth and generous
personality and his ability to
engage individuals right off the
bat and make them feel at ease
were things that drew people to
him:' said Cantor Childs, who
serves at Congregation B'nai
B'rith in Santa Barbara, Calif.
"He was my coach on how not
to be shy, giving me exercises
in charisma, like stopping a
stranger on the street and intro-
ducing himself — something he
was very comfortable doing."

Founded- Synagogue
Cantor Dubov spent six years
as cantor at Temple Beth El in
Bloomfield Township, before
doing something unique, rare
and gutsy.
In 2002, he founded his own
synagogue: Congregation Chaye
Olam, serving as the sole clergy,
growing the membership to 100
families in four years.
"He was my spiritual leader:'
said Ken Harris, Chaye Olam's
president. "When we first met
at Beth El, I was immediately
enthralled with him. So when
he started Chaye Olam, my wife,
Jackie, and I joined.
"He was an extremely inspir-
ing human being who enriched
our lives and inspired us in our
faith and taught us how to deal

with life said Harris. "Chaye
Olam means 'life eternal; a
phrase befitting a man who died
so young, but lived life so fully."
Stressing the cantor's vigor,
Harris said, "He seemed to hug
life every moment of every day.
He was such a vibrant lover of
people, music and life. Inspiring
people came so naturally to
him, and he enriched people's
lives. When he would sing you
wouldn't just hear it, you would
feel it inside."
For Rabbi Aaron Bergman,
director of Jewish Studies at the
Jewish Academy of Metropolitan
Detroit, the music was equally
stirring. "I loved listening to
him and sometimes closed
my eyes on the bimah and got
lost in his voice said the rabbi
whose admiration of the cantor
led him to offer to co-offici-
ate monthly at Chaye Olam's
Shabbat services this past year.
"He didn't want to be a show; he
got the congregation singing. He
just loved the Jewish people and
culture and music so much!'
Cantor Dubov continued to
perform throughout his canto-
rial career and was scheduled to
return to the Detroit area next
month for a benefit concert for
the Fellowship of Israel and
Black America.
During his 10 years in the
Detroit area, Cantor Dubov
directed the Kidz Klez Band of
Michigan, which he founded
for preteen and teenage musi-
cians to play, record CDs and
perform klezmer music in sites
that included Disney World
in Florida and Carnegie Hall
in New York City. Of the band
members, the cantor once said,
"Jewish music has gone into
their souls and their futures.
And that's part of what being a
cantor is about."
Cantor Dubov had planned
to form a Boca-based Kidz Klez
Band and a jazz service was

iN

already in the works to take
place in Florida. "His voice was
the most exquisite it had ever
been:' his wife said. "He was
looking forward to doing some
serious recording."
Far beyond his music and
career was Cantor Dubov's fam-
ily. And each improved the other.
"The family kept him grounded
and was the reason the other
parts of his life worked so well:'
said Christine Dubov. "And the
hard work of his career was
how he made sure the family
was so well cared for. The solid,
caring individuals our children
[daughter, Aleksandra, 22, and
son, Ariel, 18] have become is a
testimony of his love."
In addition to his wife and
children, Cantor Dubov is sur-
vived.by his parents, David and
Joan Dubov; sister and brother-
in-law, Linda and Richard
Sommers; brother and sister-in-
law, Harvey andIvonne Dubov;
all of BocaRaton.
Contributions may be made
to the Cantor Stephen Dubov
Memorial Scholarship Fund at
Hebrew Union College-Jewish
Institute of Religion Sacred
School of Music, Brookdale
Center, 1 W. 4th Street,
New York, NY 10012-1186;
Interlochen Arts Academy,
PO Box 199, Interlochen, MI,
49643; Children's Fund at the
Michigan Opera Theatre, 1526
Broadway, Detroit, MI 48226,
ACC Scholarship Fund,
American Conference of
Cantors, 213 N. Morgan St. #1A,
Chicago, IL 60607 or a chafity of
one's 'choice.
Funeral services held at
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
in Southfield were arranged by
Dorfman Chapel. Interment in
Florida. I

Obituaries on page 78

August 10 - 2006

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