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Feature The Week In News
FEBRUARY 18, 2016 | The Jewish Home
“Strength in Humility”
The Life and Legacy of Rabbi Yehoshua Binyomin Gordon, Shliach of the Lubavitcher Rebbe Yehudis Litvak On February 8th, the Greater Los Angeles Jewish community lost a unique leader, Rabbi Joshua (Yehoshua Binyomin) Gordon, z”l. Rabbi Gordon was the executive director of Chabad of the Valley and a Torah teacher at Chabad.org. He impacted thousands of people, both locally and throughout the world. Rabbi Gordon was born in 1949 to Rabbi Sholom Ber and Rebbetzin Miriam Gordon of Newark, New Jersey. His father
ers in Rabbi Gordon’s community, remembers his first visit to Chabad of Encino in 1979. At the time, Dr. Rosenthal and his family belonged to a Conservative synagogue where he was a member of the choir. They drove to shul, parking a block away out of respect. Rabbi Gordon surprised Dr. Rosenthal as soon as he walked into the shul by giving him an aliyah. “In my experience, only wealthy people got an aliyah,” says Dr. Rosenthal. “We had a great time.
At a recent gathering of the Chabad Shluchim to the Valley
was the rabbi of Congregation Ahavath Zion, a Torah teacher, and a hospital chaplain. In addition to raising a large family, Rabbi Gordon’s mother taught Hebrew school, led a local Chabad women’s organization, and maintained an open home where every Jew from any background felt comfortable. As a young man, Rabbi Gordon studied in Chabad yeshivos in France and MontreaI. In 1972, he married Deborah Posepoff. From the start, the couple was committed to spreading Torah learning and mitzvah observance according to the directives of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, ztz”l. At first, they settled in Detroit and participated in the work of Chabad there. In 1973, the head Chabad shaliach in Los Angeles, Rabbi Shlomo Cunin, recruited the Gordons to establish a Chabad center in the San Fernando Valley. They were among the first Chabad shluchim in Southern California. Under Rabbi Gordon’s leadership, the Chabad center he began in a small private house grew to a network of 26 Chabad houses throughout the Valley, as well as schools, summer camps, and other community institutions. Starting from scratch, the Gordons built up their community by showing genuine interest in their congregants and building warm and lasting relationships. Dr. Les Rosenthal, one of the old-tim-
had asked the real estate broker to show her a house in Sherman Oaks, and instead the broker showed her a house in Encino. They bought that house and found themselves in Rabbi Gordon’s community. When Mr. Weisman told the story to Rabbi Gordon, he replied, “You didn’t choose where you live, but what you do when you get here is up to you.” At the time, the Weismans weren’t fully observant. “It was quite a transformation that [Rabbi Gordon]
Early years at the office in Encino
And next time, I got an aliyah again. And the third time, the rabbi invited us to come to his house for lunch. It was a wonderful experience. After the meal, he invited
maximizing and galvanizing the talents of his shluchim than Rabbi Josh Gordon! From the day I first came out here as that ‘wet-behind-the-ears’ 20-year-old kid, Rabbi Gordon made it abundantly clear to me how much he believed in me, how much he trusted me, and how far he felt I could move Chabad of the Conejo along in the years to come…More than that, he inspired and empowered me to believe in myself that way.” Rabbi Gordon provided not only inspiration, but also practical guidance. “He was there with me and for me every step of the way,” recalls Rabbi Bryski. “Yes, he did give me the leeway and latitude to do things in my own style, but at the same time, he would constantly check in on me – not as an ‘overseeing shaliach,’ as much as a caring mentor and friend.” Rabbi Gordon was a “people person” who was able to relate to everyone he encountered. He was often called upon to resolve conflicts among the shluchim working under him, as well as outside of
Giving his now famous live class featured on chabad.org
took us on,” Mr. Weisman muses. As the Valley community grew, so did Rabbi Gordon’s various responsibilities. He recruited other Chabad rabbis to run
his community. “He did not like conflict,” says Rabbi Abend. Rabbi Gordon’s input was often more humane than halachic, explains Rabbi Abend. Rabbi Bryski adds,
One of the morning Shiurim broadcasted live to his classroom without borders
us to stay and take a nap. My wife and I rested while our kids played with the Gordon kids.” This was the beginning of the Rosenthals’ journey towards full mitzvah observance and eventual move to Encino. Mr. Lyle Weisman is another longtime congregant. “I spent nearly 17 years with Rabbi Gordon on an almost daily basis,” he says. The Weismans moved to Encino “by mistake,” recalls Mr. Weisman. His wife
the newly emerging Chabad centers, becoming a mentor to these younger men. “[Rabbi Gordon] hired me about thirty four years ago,” says Rabbi Aaron Abend of Chabad of North Hollywood. “He molded [me] and many other Chabad rabbis. His strength was in recognizing other people’s strengths.” Rabbi Moshe Bryski of Chabad of Conejo agrees. “There’s nobody – nobody – better at assessing, nurturing,
“On many, many occasions, [Rabbi Gordon] would drive out to the Conejo Valley and play a hands-on role in facilitating our growth and resolving various thorny issues we were contending with.” At the same time, Rabbi Gordon was a very pragmatic person who was personally involved in all the practical aspects of running each of the Valley’s Chabad houses, from fundraising to banking to zoning reg-