Rabbi Lipa Dubrawsky was a very dear friend of mine. I first met him in the 1980s, when I was working at the Fraser Institute in Vancouver. He was one of the brightest men I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Many of our conversations concerned the great overlap between my libertarian, and his Talmudic philosophies, a great surprise to the both of us. Often, when I am stuck for an answer to a question in political philosophy, I will ask Lipa what is the Talmudic view on that matter. The parallels between the two continue to astound me.
My one and only complaint about his is the he did not publish. Thus, only a few hundreds of people, instead of potentially millions, were able to benefit from his brilliance, his goodness, his sense of humor, his menschkite. I miss him very much. He was one of the most unforgettable characters I ever met.
Some of the high points in my life were the many lunches we shared together, arguing about politics, economics, ethics, philosophy anything else under the sun that interested the both of us, which was quite a bit. When I was working in Vancouver (1979-1991) we would have “home and away” lunches together, sometimes at the Fraser Institute, sometimes at his Chabad House. After I left Vancouver, I would see him mainly during the summers, which I spend in that city he lived in for the past 25 years.
I once met Lipa in Brooklyn at 666 Eastern Parkway (we both grew up in Crown heights, within a quarter of a mile of each other); he took me to a service there, and I received a $1 bill from Rabbi Schneerson.
My family often spent Friday evening dinners at his house over the years, and my wife Marybeth, my son Matthew and my daughter Hannah greatly enjoyed our visits with Lipa, Dena and their family. Pretty much every summer since the mid 1980s, soon after I met and became friends with Lipa, he and his entire family would come to my home in the “wilds” of North Vancouver for dinner. A highpoint of these excursions was the visit of both our families to the local horse stables, where we would inspect not only the horses, but also goats, dogs, cats and other inhabitants of these premises. I will never forget the specter of Lipa’s kids tentatively patting the horses. I have no relatives in Vancouver, so Lipa and Dena became not only our friends, but a sort of Uncle and Aunt to my kids. They were our family. It was lovely watching Lipa and Dena’s children grow up, get married, and have kids of their own.
I still can’t believe that Lipa has passed away. I’m now in New Orleans, getting ready to be back in Vancouver for the summer. Surely, I’ll be able to see him once again? Well, not on this earth, but certainly in my mind. I will never forget my friend Lipa.
Walter E. Block, Ph.D.
Harold E. Wirth Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair and Professor of Economics
Joseph A. Butt, S.J. College of Business
Loyola University New Orleans
6363 St. Charles Avenue, Box 15, Miller Hall 318
New Orleans, LA 70118
tel: (504) 864-7934
fax: (504) 864-7970
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