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A Troubled Life from page 8
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SAJE
(Seminars for Adult
Jewish Enrichment)
he Carter
presents
CONTROVER
Guest Speaker
Dr. Kenneth W. Stein
41 .4
Professor of Middle Eastern History
and Politics
PAL ST 1 NE
PEACE NOT
APARTHEID
Emory University
Thursday
September 4
7:30 p.m.
JIMMY CARTER
Friends' Reactions
The Berman Center for the Performing Arts
JCC Members and
"Friends of Melton": $12
General Admission: $15
Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit
D. Dan & Betty Kahn Building
Eugene & Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus
6600 W. Maple Road • West Bloomfield, MI
Light refreshments, book sale and signing
will follow the program
Advance registration requested
To purchase tickets, please
visit theberman.org
or call 248-661-1900
Ill
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THE BERMAN
2094•11110 1=19
THE CENTER
of. arts
IM'ntten
1933440
12
August 28 • 2014
JN
Lamm, YU's chancellor, for inaction.
Similar to sexual abuse cases
unearthed in recent years in the
Catholic Church, where official silence
was the norm, Gordon seemed gratified
that some openness was beginning to
occur in the Jewish community.
"While it is true that dozens of other
incidences of sexual abuse occurred in
Jewish communities worldwide during
the past six months" Gordon wrote in
Secrets Part II, "I have selected the more
public ones that highlight improvements
in breaking the Jewish taboo of abuse
as well as steps taken to raise the global
Jewish consciousness of abuse.
"Those not mentioned must not be
overlooked and their powerful voices
are contributing to a monumental para-
digm shift in Jewish society and beyond.
"Together, we are an army of victims
and advocates equipped with the weap-
ons needed to slay the stagnant status-
quo: hope, courage and the fervent
desire to ensure that others don't feel the
pain that we felt and continue to feel to
this day."
In the same blog post, he looked
ahead toward his future.
"I'm proud of myself, and I hope to
continue this attitude well into 2014
and the rest of my life. The attitude
that I can reach previously unattainable
heights and purge from life the toxic
people, ideas and thoughts that tend
to hinder my progress. I'm excited for
a new year of life, connection, growth
and fun. A year of honesty where what I
think, say and do are one in harmony"
Yossi Tobi, 20, of Southfield was
unaware, until recently, of the alleged
abuse Gordon endured. "I finally found
out when he sent me the link to his
blog," he said. "That was in 2013. It was
unbelievable"
In a tribute to Gordon, he wrote:
"Back when we were young, you were
one of those popular kids who was
somehow able to remain so without put-
ting others down. Even after we went
our separate ways, we still bumped into
each other in Israel. You always sent me
the stuff you wrote, which I could never
get enough of.
"Your style of writing, and the way
your words were able to penetrate so
easily and meaningfully into the reader's
mind and carry the influence to think
deeply about the messages you were
trying to convey were the work of a true
genius. You found a way to write about
even the things that others in your place
may have had a very hard time describ-
ing, and I will miss all of that forever"
Joe Ravitsky did not know of Gordon's
alleged abuse until after his death. His
memories of Gordon are from meaning-
ful time spent together with his family.
In a Facebook post, he wrote: "David's
father was my chavrusah (study part-
ner) in Detroit, and I spent a great deal
of time at their home with his family.
I stayed there for Shabbos; I ate there
many times, and the family can only
be described as caring and sweet" said
Ravitsky, who now lives in Dallas. "Dr.
Gordon [David's father] said a brachah
under my chuppah.
"Dave Gordon was probably in sixth
or seventh grade at the time and was
challenged to find his own voice in a
very structured environment. Oak Park
can seem very rigid to anyone trying to
find his place as a teenager.
"His parents are unbelievable people,
and I learned a great deal from them.
David's desire to find his own way came
from a courage and strength that was
evident in his parents as well. One of the
things that solidified my drive toward
observant Judaism was this family's way
of life within observant Judaism"
Chavivah Amanda Bluth of Southfield
said, "Dave and I became friends about
two years ago. We were in the same
NCSY chapter. We knew each other,
but didn't really talk. Then he started
writing his blogs and sending them to
everyone he knew. So I read his post
and thought it was brilliant, and told
him what I thought. So I guess you
could say that's what started our friend-
ship.
And through his writings we became
close friends quickly because the con-
cepts he brought up in his blogs were
ones that show how deep a thinker he
was. We just clicked. He was a thinker,