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Power Couple Named
JCRC Activist Awardees
A conversation with Drs. Lynda and Conrad Giles.
Vivian Henoch | Special to the Jewish News
A
20 May 19 • 2016
L: The one thought that comes to mind
is not that I have a dream of starting any-
thing new but rather hopes of finishing
what I have started. I would love to see the
SPARC program feel secure in its funding
so that Jewish single-parent families can
stay connected to Jewish institutions, their
peers and the Jewish community. I would
love our University of Michigan Hillel to
have the funding it needs to continue to
excel in fulfilling its mission: to enrich the
lives of Jewish students so that they may
enrich the Jewish people and the world.
John Hardwick
sk Dr. Conrad Giles when he
and his wife, Dr. Lynda Giles,
plan to “retire,” and emphatically
he’ll tell you: “We have no intentions of
retiring. I have a wife who is a clinical psy-
chologist in private practice.”
Conrad himself maintains his own
busy practice in pediatric ophthalmology
as the chief emeritus of ophthalmology
at Children’s Hospital of Michigan and
as a clinical professor at the Wayne State
University School of Medicine.
The couple will receive the Jewish
Community Relations Council’s 2016
Activist Award on June 8 at Adat Shalom
Synagogue in Farmington Hills.
The very definition of activists, in their
38 years of marriage, the Giles have been
true partners — champions of health, edu-
cation and charitable causes — serving as
leaders and community-builders with the
Jewish Federation, a focal point of much of
their work on both the local and national
levels.
A past president of the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit,
Conrad was recognized in 1993 as the
recipient of the Fred M. Butzel Award for
Outstanding Community Service. On the
national stage, he has an equally long his-
tory of leadership and service to organiza-
tions. A deputy president of World ORT
since 2013, Conrad is about to assume one
of his most prestigious roles to date when
he is named president of World ORT in
May.
Lynda’s abiding passion for Jewish educa-
tion, as well as her focus on young adults,
has propelled her to take leadership roles
fostering the growth of Federation’s educa-
tional services and programming. Following
her role as president of Federation’s Agency
for Jewish Education (AJE), she became the
founding co-chair of the Alliance for Jewish
Education. A Federation board member,
she has played pivotal roles in fundraising
and other community initiatives with a cur-
rent focus on University of Michigan Hillel
and the Single Parent Alliance and Resource
Connection (SPARC).
Together, Lynda and Conrad have
earned numerous accolades from the com-
munity, including the State of Israel Bonds
Prime Minister’s Award and Yeshiva Beth
Yehudah’s Golden Torah Award.
Drs. Conrad and Lynda Giles
Q: What does it mean to be an activist?
CONRAD: Simply stated: As a member
of this community, you can make choices
as to how you spend your time. You can
either involve yourself in community
in areas where you think you can bring
something to the table or you can partici-
pate in other ways.
We have chosen to involve ourselves
both in the gratifying work of Federation’s
campaign and community activities.
LYNDA: The word activist is not what
comes to mind when I think about myself.
I do, however, feel fortunate to have the
opportunity to serve as an active volunteer
in the Jewish community.
Q: Thinking back on your journey in
community service, what projects have
been nearest and dearest to your hearts?
C: No one project comes to mind,
but I would say that we embraced
Federation first and foremost. The more
each of us has given the more we’ve got-
ten in return.
L: I think both of us have a tremendous
amount of energy. We’ve loved the oppor-
tunities we’ve had in our roles within the
community.
Q: Of all your achievements, what has
made you the most proud?
C: My wife! When Lynda came into my
life, I was well on the road to becoming the
president of Federation. At that time, I was
head of the professional health division.
When we got married, I was privileged to
introduce Lynda to this aspect of my life
and to the Federation community. When
you look at the kinds of initiatives she’s
been involved with, there is no question —
my greatest accomplishment was involving
my wife in the Jewish community.
L: As much as Conrad is proud of me, I
feel that way about him!
Q: Is there community work or a project
you still dream of starting?
C: Becoming president of World ORT
in May … I believe is going to provide me
with enough challenge for the rest of my
life. It’s a four-year term. The offices are in
the United Kingdom and 37 countries as far
afield as India. This might be the most chal-
lenging and difficult job I’ve ever had with
the possible exception of the time of the
merger negotiations between UJA and CJF
(Council of Jewish Federations). That’s his-
tory. This is going to be an interesting four
years. I don’t plan on starting anything new.
Q: What do you tell young people to
encourage them to get involved in the
community?
C: “I’ve been training young residents
and fellows now for over a half a century
— we’re talking about 500 young people
who have come through my service in
the medical center. I emphasize to each
of them that what they are obtaining as
becoming physicians is a trade — a mar-
velous trade. They feel good about what
they are doing.
But that’s not enough! They have some-
thing to give beyond using their trade as
their sole contribution to society, and that’s
something they should think about.
L: My central message is that to be com-
plete, we need to recognize our responsi-
bilities — not only to ourselves, but to our
families and our community. This connec-
tion means that we need to give back or
tzedakah. Being connected to community
will only enrich one’s life.
*
Vivian Henoch is editor of Federation’s
myjewishdetroit.org, where this story first appeared.
Drs. Lynda and Conrad Giles will receive
the 2016 Activist Award from the Jewish
Community Relations Council at a spe-
cial event in their honor at 7 p.m. on
Wednesday, June 8, at Adat Shalom
Synagogue in Farmington Hills. The pro-
gram’s featured speaker will be University
of Michigan President, Dr. Mark L.
Schlissel. Dessert reception following the
event, $18. For more information, visit
detroitjcrc.org.