It is with heavy hearts that we share the news that our dear friend and colleague, Bob Gordon z”l, passed away on Monday morning.
Bob was a kind, gentle, generous and humble man whose great acts of loving kindness often went unrecognized – the way he wanted it to be.
“Bob Gordon held a very special place both in the global struggle for Soviet Jewry and in our personal struggle,” write Natan and Avital Sharansky. “He was a fighter, a friend, and a true mensch.”
As a key activist and leader in the Soviet Jewry movement, Bob helped create what was then Action for Soviet Jewry in Boston. He later became President of the Union of Councils for Soviet Jewry. When the Soviet Union fell, and the world moved on, Bob did not. He kept going through Action for Post-Soviet Jewry, caring for elderly and struggling Jews in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine.
That was Bob in essence: a passionate advocate who showed up, again and again, for decades, for people he would never meet — because it was the right thing to do.
Most recently Bob was the founding chairperson of this organization – Soviet Jewry Movement Education Project – to ensure that the legacy of the movement that he cherished be preserved, and inspire future generations to take action where and when they see it as necessary. To us, he was a model of a passionate, persevering, grassroots activist. May his memory be a blessing to us all.
We extend our deepest sympathy to his wife, Doris, children Dave and Mike, stepchildren Lori and Lisa, and grandchildren Jonah, Max, Lila, Tessa, Tristan, and Eloise. May each of them find comfort among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem, and from among their loved ones and community.
The family has asked that all donations in Bob’s memory be directed to the Soviet Jewry Movement Education Project.
Now it falls to us to continue his vision. Help us ensure that his legacy — the stories of his compassion and bravery — lives on, by making a donation in his honor to SJMEP.
In deepest respect and admiration of our dear colleague and friend,
Leo Slepak
Board Chair, SJMEP
You can read Bob’s obituary published in the Boston Globe at the website of Levine Chapels.