Irving Feintech, real estate developer, philanthropist and past Cedars-Sinai board chair, died on Feb. 5. He was 92.
Feintech was born Nov. 11, 1918, in Des Moines, Iowa, and moved to Los Angeles as a child with his parents, Abraham and Ida, and his siblings, Norman and Celia.
A graduate of Southwestern Law School, Feintech started the Liberty Building Company with his brother in the late 1940s, and together with Nathan Shapell, they developed Porter Ranch in the northwest San Fernando Valley.
In 1948, Feintech became involved with Mount Sinai Hospital, where his brother, Norman, was president. He served as joint conference committee chair during the hospital’s decade-long merger process with Cedars of Lebanon, which started in 1961.
“It was just not easy at the time,” Feintech told The Journal in a 2002 interview. “It was going to cost us $130 million. We had to find out how we were going to get that money.
“Before we went to the banks, we had to show that we had the community’s support,” he said. “Ultimately, the community felt it was necessary. We didn’t need two hospitals going after the same money.”
On Nov. 5, 1972, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center held the official groundbreaking for its 1.6 million-square-foot, 1,120-bed hospital.
Feintech, who served as Cedars-Sinai board chair from 1993 to 1995, co-chaired the medical center’s Campaign for the 21st Century, a $180 million initiative to support new buildings and programs that ended in 2004, with Robert Silverstein. The pair worked together at Cedars-Sinai for more than 56 years and are the only two people ever elected to permanent seats on the Cedars-Sinai board of directors.
A member of The Music Center’s board and the West Coast chairman’s council for the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Feintech also supported numerous causes through the Feintech Family Foundation. Shane’s Inspiration, The Heart Foundation, St. John’s College, the Skirball Cultural Center and the USC Shoah Foundation Institute were among the many causes close to Feintech’s heart.
He also took delight in his role as an investment partner at Spago Beverly Hills, where he regularly dined and celebrated with family and friends.
Feintech is survived by his daughters, Wendy and Lisa; grandchildren, Alexandra and Jordan Pinkus; nieces, Lynn and Vivien; nephew, Michael; and sister-in-law, Evelyn.
Services were held Feb. 9 at Hillside Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to The Heart Foundation at Cedars-Sinai (theheartfoundation.com).
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