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April 8, 2011
LB to honor Lorne Cristall
To Life! will celebrate a long family tradition of philanthropy.
BOB MARKIN
Lorne Cristall’s continuous and continuing 45-year dedication to community betterment will be honored at this year’s Louis Brier Jewish Aged Foundation’s To Life! Celebration, where he will receive the organization’s Chai Award.
The award was established to recognize individuals who give of their time, expertise and resources to enhance the lives of both present and future home and hospital residents, explained foundation president Harry Lipetz. “Lorne has exemplified these qualities over many years, serving the Brier as vice-president, president for three terms, life governor and foundation board member. He has demonstrated leadership in the care of the elderly and we are grateful to be able to honor him with the Chai Award this year.”
Dvori Balshine, foundation director of development, said that Cristall leads and fundraises for the home and hospital and does everything with a personal commitment. “He exemplifies the Brier foundation mission statement ‘from generation to generation’ and understands just how many people are in a situation where they need a facility such as the Louis Brier,” she stated.
Former Louis Brier executive director Ken Levitt recalled that Cristall’s presidency carried added responsibilities during the 1990 building campaign. He explained, “Lorne very astutely recognized the challenges he faced and, because of his skills as a mediator and a consensus builder, he was instrumental in building a very strong board of directors.”
A close friend of Cristall’s for more than 50 years, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Bruce Cohen said that he has witnessed firsthand Cristall’s deep respect for his elders, loyalty to family and friends, work ethic, integrity, honesty and leadership skills. “These qualities have served him well as a husband, father, businessman and community leader,” said Cohen. “He has generously dedicated and contributed his time and resources to many community institutions, which will serve and assist those institutions and the entire community for generations to come.”
Lee Simpson, the 2009 Chai Award recipient and this year’s To Life! Celebration chair, is also a friend spanning many decades. “To me, Lorne has always represented wisdom, strength ... and courage,” she said. “The ability to face challenges with grace and hope are characteristics worthy of acknowledgement. He certainly deserves this award for his longstanding commitment to the Brier and to the elderly in our community past, present and future.”
In addition to his extensive involvement at the Brier, Cristall has served as vice-president and president of Vancouver Talmud Torah, vice-president of Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University, canvasser leader for the Combined Jewish Appeal, board member and president of Congregation Beth Israel, and a key founder and supporter of King David High School.
When he lends his talents and energy to a cause or organization, in the back of his mind are the qualities his parents exemplified in their lives. His mother, Fae, was for decades a prominent Hadassah leader, as well as a very active participant in the then-United Jewish Appeal, the former Jewish Community Fund and Council, B’nai B’rith Women, Hillel and many major campaigns on behalf of Israel. Cristall said she was a major influence in his community involvement and, while his father, Alex, was not active in the community due to work responsibilities, his father nevertheless “often spoke of the need for community support and was philosophically a strong part of my participation,” said Cristall.
The family commitment to community is broad. Cristall’s wife, Sylvia, has taken leading roles in Vancouver Talmud Torah, Congregation Beth Israel, Camp Hatikvah Foundation, Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and, particularly, Hadassah-WIZO, which she has long served, locally, regionally and nationally. The couple’s daughter, Jodi, is a Beth Israel board member; their daughter Jackie serves on the boards of Camp Hatikvah and the Jewish Family Service Agency; and their son Alex is the youngest president ever of the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver.
Living daily for the past 25 years with multiple sclerosis and, most recently, with other major health challenges, Cristall remains involved as much as he can in the Cristall Group-CGI Developments, the family real-estate development and management company, on the Louis Brier and Talmud Torah foundation boards and as co-chairman of the upcoming campaign for the redevelopment of Congregation Beth Israel, a project he describes as “a major dream that we have in our community.” Cristall actively supports and fundraises for King David High School, as well as for many endeavors benefiting the state of Israel.
Cristall emphasized that the Louis Brier’s “importance is paramount. If we didn’t have the Brier, we wouldn’t have a community.” He also stressed the importance of the home’s “generation to generation” perspective in the larger context. “We must influence the younger generation to make a commitment towards the building of a stronger community,” he said. “This is the most critical thing of all.”
The foundation’s To Life! Celebration honoring Cristall takes place on Wednesday, May 18, at the Four Seasons Hotel. For more information, call 604-261-5550.
Bob Markin, formerly on the editorial staff of the Jewish Western Bulletin for 16 years, is a freelance writer and member of the editorial committee for Louis Brier Jewish Aged Foundation’s M’Dor L’Dor newsletter. A version of this article will appear in its spring issue.
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