He's got the Midas touch

RORY RICHARDS

Noel Golden is surely one of the Vancouver Jewish community's hidden gems.

This born and raised Winnipeg lad moved to Vancouver in 1991 to article at the legendary Vancouver law firm of Freeman & Co., and has since built a thriving wealth management practice at Borden Ladner Gervais. He has also become a champion of the arts and culture community, serving as president and chairman of the board of Ballet British Columbia since 2003.

Name: Noel Golden.

Hebrew name: Noach Zacharia.

Occupation: Lawyer.

My mother was born in: Winnipeg.

My father was born in: Winnipeg.

Ethnic background: Russian and Eastern European.

I grew up in: Winnipeg.

Did you grow up in a traditional Jewish household? Relatively speaking. We did all the holidays. We had periods of time that we had modified kashrut in the house. We went to Hebrew school and had bar mitzvahs.

How was your Hebrew school experience? I quite enjoyed it. It was a full-time, all day school – like Talmud Torah. I really loved it. I created a lot of important bonds with other kids. Our common backgrounds really helped to solidify the common themes among us.

How is your Hebrew? My Hebrew used to be quite good. Reading and writing, that is – it's still pretty good as long as I have the vowels.

When was the last time you were in shul? Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Where'd you go? I went to the Kollel.

What do you think of the rabbi? I like the rabbi there – he is very warm and inviting. Philosophically, I'm not sure whether I am OK with splitting men and women up. But that's a tradition that they follow – not that that has anything to do with the rabbi.

How old are you? 39.

39 and...? Um – single.

Great! Dating nice Jewish girls, I hope? Well, I'm dating.

But looking for a nice Jewish girl, right? This is a tough question. I'm a bit torn here. I have dated Jewish women in Vancouver in the past year.

What type of law do you practise? I do an area of the law that is generally referred to as wealth management: estate planning, succession planning and offshore tax structure.

You keep the money in the family? Yes, that's it.

Pen and paper or Blackberry? I don't have a Blackberry.

You don't have a Blackberry?! Yes, I have resisted because I'm mostly in my office.

But if you had a Blackberry, you could spend time out of the office and spend more time dating Jewish women. So, having a Blackberry is directly related to my dating?

Precisely! OK, I will definitely keep that in mind.

How many voicemails a day do you get? 15.

How many e-mails a day do you get? 100.

How many hours of work per week? 60 hours.

What's on your desk right now? Wow – it's kind of embarrassing; there are so many things. Mountains of paper, a Rubik's cube, a golf ball, half a bottle of red wine. Invitations to parties, receptions, photos of my family. Golf trophies.

Describe your approach to your work and life: To a certain extent, work hard; play hard. But try not to work so hard that you are too tired to play hard.

What's the best part of your job? My ability to help people achieve and plan for their future.

And the worst? Having to get up early.

Favorite place in Vancouver: My apartment.

Who would you want to have dinner with (dead or alive/Jewish or not)? Albert Einstein, Steven Spielberg, Golda Meir, Bono of U2. My great-grandfather, that I didn't know, who was a very successful businessman in Russia.

Ever been to Israel? Yes. I was just there two years ago on a national young leadership advocacy program that culminated in a trip to Israel with elected officials from Canada.

How do you relate to the Jewish community in Vancouver? Not enough, probably. I don't know why. I guess I just don't have friends here that are involved and so I have been less motivated.

As a 39-year-old Jewish man living in Vancouver, what do you think is the biggest problem facing our community? Well, speaking as someone who is not involved, I would say the same thing that is facing everyone: assimilation and Jewish identity.

Do you think something in our community structure has failed to effectively reach out to you and others like you? Well, no. That would imply blame on behalf of the community. I think I can pick up the phone and call at any time, and yet, I haven't. I guess I am just busy.

What role does Judaism play in your life? In the back of my mind, the basic tenets of Judaism are a driving force in my life. The things that make up a good Jew make up a good person in general.

What makes you most proud to be Jewish? The demonstrated success of Jews to survive and thrive in their communities.

What if I send Federation Robin Hood, David Berson, over in a tutu to spin an alluring pirouette in an effort to inspire you to get involved? Um, I'm not sure I want to see that, but I will definitely consider getting more involved in the future after this conversation.

Rory Richards is a partner in the public relations and event planning firm Richards and Chan.

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