Born Vienna, May 20, 1937. Died Newcastle, October 1, 2008, aged 71.
December 11, 2008 11:07By
A leading member of the Newcastle community, Dr Felix Lustman partnered his Austrian-trained father in a GP practice, writes Faga Speker.
An only child, he came to Britain with his parents as refugees from the 1938 Nazi takeover of Austria. They settled in North East England, in Gateshead, where Felix’s father, Ossias, became a family doctor in a deprived area. Felix attended local schools but imbibed his deep Jewish knowledge from Gateshead’s strictly Orthodox environment.
Studying in Newcastle, he qualified as a doctor at King’s College, Durham. He then joined his father’s practice, ultimately taking it over. A zealous, hard- working GP, he put in long hours to attend to all his patients.
In 1961 he married Helen Steel, herself a child of refugees from Nazi Germany. The couple made Newcastle their home. Active in civic and communal life, Dr Lustman was appointed a Gateshead JP after a short period as a Labour councillor.
In the community, he served in every executive synagogue post. President of the United Hebrew Congregation of Newcastle from 1979 to ’82. he was reappointed in early 2008, shortly before his final illness.
He was chairman of the Newcastle Welfare Society before its incorporation into North East Jewish Community Services, of which he was an active member. He was also a founder member and secretary of the North East Jewish Housing Association.
A mason, he was elected worshipful master of the King Solomon Lodge in 1982, and served as charities representative and treasurer before becoming past provincial grand registrar.
A generous and quiet supporter of many charities, particularly in Israel, he freely voiced his strongly held views. He commissioned the writing of two Sifrei Torah, one of which is used in the Newcastle UHC.
The other, donated just before the diagnosis of his terminal illness, was for use at the Kotel, the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Despite his heavy commitments, he kept up his Jewish study and increased it in retirement.
He is survived by his wife, two daughters, three sons, and 17 grandchildren.
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