Whitman, Lewis L. died on Sunday, November 14, 2021 at age 87. He leaves his loving wife of 62 years, Sylvia Whitman (Medverd), his sons Bradley, and wife Chana, Gordon, and wife Betti, and James, and wife Anna, and his grandchildren Nicholas, Natalia and Isaiah. Lewis was born and raised in Framingham, MA, the second youngest of six children of Irving and Ethel Whitman (Sher). Lewis’s mother was an immigrant from Kovno, Lithuania. His father came to the U.S. from Russia as an infant and became a U.S. citizen through service in WWI.
Born during the depths of the Great Depression, he was one of the first persons in his family to attend college, graduating from Babson College, Boston University Law School and Harvard Law School (L.L.M.). He worked as an attorney in Boston and served as a judge in the Trial Court of Massachusetts from 1973 to 1992.
Lewis devoted himself to improving laws protecting women and children from domestic violence. His court in Quincy was a leader in alternative dispute resolution. As a judge he led efforts to change how the court system, police and society responded to domestic violence. He helped develop the nationally recognized “Quincy Model” which was based on interviews with domestic violence victims and emphasized victim’s rights, protecting women from violence, and treating family violence as a serious crime.
He co-chaired the Massachusetts Domestic Violence Roundtable, served on Governor Weld’s Domestic Violence Policy Commission, wrote numerous articles about preventing violence against women, and taught a course on domestic violence law at Boston University Law School for more than two decades.
Lewis Whitman was devoted to his family and community and had a strong belief in doing good, through the Jewish principle of Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. He and his wife Sylvia instilled these values and joy for their faith in their children and grandchildren. He served as President of Temple Beth Abraham in Canton, Massachusetts, President of Jewish Family and Children’s Services and on the board of Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Boston. He was a guardian for people suffering from mental illness, and served as the chair of the personnel committee in the Town of Canton.
A true son of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Lewis loved to ski and sail, and shared his love for New England and its unique history, with all who knew him.
Shiva will be held at 4:00PM Monday at Congregation Kehillath Israel https://congki.org/
384 Harvard St., Brookline, MA 02446
Please make donations in Lewis’ name to Jewish Family & Children’s Services https://www.jfcsboston.org/
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