Part Of

United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds

Annual Campaign series

Walk with Israel sub-series

Walk for Israel 1993 sub-sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

67

Series

17-1-19

File

17

Material Format

textual record

Date

1993

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File contains lists of prizes and donors and letters to corporate sponsors about donating prizes such as gift certificates, tickets, and merchandise.

Notes

Title based on contents of the file.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds

Annual Campaign series

Walk with Israel sub-series

1998 Israel 50 Fun Walk sub-sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

67

Series

17-1-24

File

17

Material Format

textual record

Date

1998

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File contains correspondence regarding the grand prize draw tickets to Israel courtesy of Air Canada and El Al. There is also a form letter asking companies for donations of gift certificates or merchandise.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds

Annual Campaign series

Walk with Israel sub-series

Community March for Israel 1996 sub-sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

67

Series

17-1-22

File

9

Material Format

textual record

Date

1996

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File contains correspondence between UJA and prize donors and winners, including State of Israel Bonds and El Al Airlines, which per tradition donated two tickets to Israel. There are also lists of the smaller prizes distributed.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds

Annual Campaign series

Walk with Israel sub-series

Israel Funwalk 1999 sub-sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

67

Series

17-1-25

File

15

Material Format

textual record

Date

1999

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File contains form letters to potential sponsors, a grant application to the Raptors Foundation, other correspondence, lists of confirmed sponsors, and letters to Air Canada and El Al Airlines regarding the tickets they usually donate for the raffle.

Notes

The Raptors Foundation is the charitable arm of the Toronto Raptors Basketball Club. It has a mandate to assist registered charitable organizations that support community athletic and recreational programs that offer youth-oriented opportunities, particularly for those at risk.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds

Annual Campaign series

Walk with Israel sub-series

Walk for Israel 1990 sub-sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

67

Series

17-1-16

File

23

Material Format

textual record

Date

1990

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Source

Archival Descriptions

Level

Item

Item

6016

Material Format

graphic material

Date

May 1990

Physical Description

1 photograph

Notes

Acquired May 1990.

Name Access

Nemal ha-te ufah Ben-Guryon

United Jewish Appeal

Subjects

Airports

Immigrants--Israel

Jews--Soviet Union

Repro Restriction

Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Israel

Accession Number

1991-9-1

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Solomon Edell fonds

Personal series

Life cycle and family events sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

4

Series

1-5

File

11

Material Format

textual record

Date

1954-1982

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of graduation programmes and correspondence regarding the Ethel Edell Prize at Harbord Collegiate Institute.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Accession Number

1985-12-1

Material Format

textual record

graphic material

Physical Description

45 cm of textual and graphic material

Date

1939-1986

Scope and Content

This accession consists of records of the Northwood Country Club, copies of newsletters edited by Al Cooper, and copies of comic book pages drawn by Cooper.

Administrative History

Al Cooper was a well-known Canadian comic book artist in the 1940s. He died on 7 Jan. 1986 at the age of 60. Mr. Cooper worked for Active Comics and was responsible for three of the original Canadian comic books: Commandos, Captain Red Thornton, and Scotty McDonald. He later became a partner and director of Maple Leaf Press, and in 1963 started his own printing company, Cooper Graphics and Associates. He served as president of the Downsview Lodge of B'nai Brith. He was also involved with the Northwood Country Club in Toronto.

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

1994-7-5

Material Format

graphic material

Physical Description

3 photographs : b&w ; 13 x 18 cm and 12 X 18 cm

Date

1944

Scope and Content

Accession consists of three photographs of Canadian army personnel at a Passover seder in Prince George, British Columbia on April 3, 1944. Identified are Al Spiegel, Herb Hurwitz, and Hy Melnick.

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2007-12-17 [Processed]

Material Format

graphic material

Physical Description

119 photographs : b&w and col. (43 tifs, 32 negatives, 1 slide) ; 41 x 51 cm or smaller and 300 dpi

Date

1960-2007

Scope and Content

This accession includes forty-three black-and-white and colour portrait prints along with the accompanying digital images and some negatives. The sitters include nationally- and internationally-renowned entertainers, athletes, politicians, entrepreneurs, artists, and jurists. Individuals include: David Ben-Gurion, Dr. Charles Best, Conrad Black, A. J. Casson, John Diefenbaker, Gordie Howe, Yousuf Karsh, Betty Kennedy, Larry King, George Knudson, Jean Beliveau, Yehuda Menuhin, Lester Pearson, John Robarts, Sidney Robins, Peter Appleyard, Leona Boyd, George Cohon, David Crombie, Dizzy Gillespie, Dr. Bernie Goldman, Martin Luther King III, Murray Koffler, Moe Koffman, Eugene Levy, Edwin Mirvish, Raymond Moriyama, Frank Sinatra, Carl Schaeffer, Mandel Sprachman, Dr. Tile, Wayne and Shuster, Dr. Key, Joseph Biden, Matthew Teitlebaum, Guido Basso, Oscar Peterson, the director of the Department of Transportation in Maui, a man playing chess, and a diver in an aquarium.

Administrative History

Nathan Gittelmacher immigrated to Toronto from Kiev, Ukraine after the First World War. He first worked as a photographer at Empire Studios, and then in 1922, opened up his own studio, Elite Studios, at 615 Queen Street West. Many of Nathan’s portraits were produced with a large format view camera and from glass negatives.

During the 1940s, the family changed its name to Gilbert and subsequently altered the name of the business to Gilbert Studios. Nathan’s son, Albert, who was born 18 November 1922, started working in the family business in 1941, when he was 19 years old. He eventually assumed control of it after his father retired. He moved the studio to Eglington Avenue and then later to Davenport Road, its current location, in order to accommodate its growing clientele.

Al made a name for himself as a portrait photographer, using natural light in innovative ways to create more natural looking portraits. Al’s primary work involved producing portraits of families, weddings, bar mitzvahs, special events and dinners. Most of his early clients were from the Jewish community. In turn, he also was paid to produce portraits of local entrepreneurs, and his multi-year contract with the city, gave him sole responsibility for the production of portraits of the mayors and councilmen and women. He later branched out beyond the Jewish community, and began to produce images of businessmen and leaders from the Italian community in Toronto.

n addition to the paid contracts involving local personalities and groups, Al Gilbert has also produced many artistic portraits of local, national and international celebrities, artists and leaders such as: Wayne and Shuster, Howie Mandel, Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Robertson Davies, several Canadian prime ministers as well as Prince Charles, all of the Israeli prime ministers, which were made into stamps by the Israeli government, and finally, the last Pope. Gilbert’s work therefore captures a huge range of individuals from the ordinary bride to extraordinary world leaders.

Al has won many awards as well as accolades from his peers throughout his career. He is the three-time recipient of the prestigious Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC) Photographer of the year honour. He has been named Fellow of the photographic societies in Canada, Britain and the United States. In 1990, he was awarded the Order of Canada and recently nominated for the Order of Ontario. In January 2007, the Professional Photographers of America presented him with their Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest honor PPA can bestow on a person for their body of work and influence on professional photography.

Use Conditions

Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.

Descriptive Notes

File list is available here: S:\Appraisal\00 Monetary appraisals\CPERB\2007-12-17, Gilbert\2007-12-17 CPERB list.xls

Processed as Fonds 37, series 4.

USE CONDITION NOTE: Permission for use must be granted by Mr. Al Gilbert or his children. Attribution beneath Mr. Gilbert’s work to read: Al Gilbert C.M. or Portrait by Al Gilbert C.M. Reproduction Prints can only be made by Gilbert Studios under Mr. Gilbert’s direction. Mr. Gilbert’s work cannot be reproduced by any third party off these web sites or exhibits without permission. No cropping or alterations to the original image is allowed.

Subjects

Portraits

Name Access

Biden, Joseph R.

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2009-5-2

Material Format

philatelic record

graphic material

Physical Description

33 postage stamps (12 electronic)

1 photograph : col. ; 21 x 26 cm

Date

1970-1998

Scope and Content

This accession consists of a sheet of 15 postage stamps of former Prime Minister of Israel Levi Eshkol, printed in 1970 and featuring a portrait taken by Gilbert in 1968; a sheet of 6 postage stamps of former Israeli president Chaim Herzog printed in 1998 and featuring a portrait taken by Gilbert in 1989, as well as a CD featuring several Israeli stamps from the donor's personal collection. There is also a photograph of Conrad Black and American president Richard Nixon.

Subjects

Prime ministers--Israel

Name Access

Gilbert, Al

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2010-10-1

Material Format

graphic material

Physical Description

2 photographs: b & w ; 9 x 14 cm

Date

1922

Scope and Content

The donation includes two photographs that were taken at Gittelmacher's Studio in 1922. The first is a portrait of Leona, Ida and Albert Lenchner from Pittsburgh. The second is a portrait of Albert and Leona Lenchner with their cousin Bernard Segal, who was also from Pittsburgh.

Subjects

Portraits

Places

Pittsburgh (Pa.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2010-12-10

Material Format

graphic material

graphic material (electronic)

Physical Description

68 photographs : b&w and col. (34 jpgs and tifs) ; 41 x 51 cm and 300 dpi

Scope and Content

The accession consists of 34 portrait prints produced by photographer Al Gilbert. It also includes the corresponding digital images. The individuals documented are prominant Toronto Jews and include: Ronald Appleby, Michael Benjamin, Avi Bennett, Edward Bronfman, Judy Feld Carr, Lou Copeland, Dan Leslie, John Daniels, A. E. Diamond, Dr. Martin Dobkin, Anne Golden, Ed Goodman, Al Green, Alex Grossman, Carl Keifitz, Marvelle Koffler, Joseph and Wolf Lebovic, Murray Menkes, Miles Nadal, Sam Pencer, Nathan Phillips, Lou Posluns, Wilfred Posluns, Alex Schanider, Seymour Schulich, Izzy Sharpe, Sam Shopsowitz, Edward Sokolowski, Ed Sonshine, Fran Sonshine, Joseph Tanenbaum, Larry Tanenbaum, Max Tanenbaum, and Ray Wolfe.

Administrative History

Nachman (Nathan) Gittelmacher was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1898, the son of Shloima and Mattie Gittelmacher. Suffering terribly during the pogroms of 1918 and 1920, he fled from place to place and then emigrated to Canada in 1921. Trained as a photographer in Europe, he opened his own photography studio in Toronto in 1922, called Elite Studios. First located at 513 Queen Street West, he soon moved to 615 Queen Street West. Nathan serviced a largely Jewish clientele, photographing weddings, bar mitzvahs, as well as Jewish community events.

Nathan was married to Nina Sokoloff and they had three sons and a daughter: Louis (Lou), Albert (Al), Jack, and Ruth.

During the early 1940s, the family legally changed their name from Gittelmacher to Gilbert and subsequently altered the name of the business to Gilbert Studios. When Nathan moved to the United States, Al, who had been working there since a young age, took over the business and under his management it thrived. In order to accommodate his growing clientele, he moved the studio to Eglinton Avenue and later to 170 Davenport Road, where it is situated today.

Al made a name for himself as a portrait photographer, using natural light in innovative ways to create more natural looking portraits. Al’s primary work involved producing portraits of families, weddings, bar mitzvahs, special events and dinners. Most of his early clients were from the Jewish community. In turn, he also was paid to produce portraits of local entrepreneurs, and his multi-year contract with the city, gave him sole responsibility for the production of portraits of the mayors and councilmen and women. He later branched out beyond the Jewish community, and began to produce images of businessmen and leaders from the Italian community in Toronto.

In addition to the paid contracts involving local personalities and groups, Al Gilbert has also produced many artistic portraits of local, national and international celebrities, artists and leaders such as: Wayne and Shuster, Howie Mandel, Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Robertson Davies, several Canadian prime ministers as well as Prince Charles, all of the Israeli prime ministers, which were made into stamps by the Israeli government, and finally, the last Pope. Gilbert’s work therefore captures a huge range of individuals from the ordinary bride to extraordinary world leaders.

Al has won many awards as well as accolades from his peers throughout his career. He is the three-time recipient of the prestigious Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC) Photographer of the year honour. He has been named Fellow of the photographic societies in Canada, Britain and the United States. In 1990, he was awarded the Order of Canada. In January 2007, the Professional Photographers of America presented him with their Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest honor PPA can bestow on a person for their body of work and influence on professional photography.

Use Conditions

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2010-12-12

Material Format

graphic material

Physical Description

42 photographs : b&w and col. (21 jpgs) ; 41 x 51 cm and 300dpi

Date

1965-2009

Scope and Content

The accession consists of 21 portrait prints and corresponding digital images. These items document national and international figures and include: Bill Barber, Tony and Elizabeth Comper, Barney Danson, Tony Esposito, Victor Feldbrill, Monty Hall, Beverley Harvard, Pope John Paul II, Robert Kaplan, Sophie Milman, Henry Moore, Benjamin Netanyahu, Brad Park, Shimon Peres, Gilbert Perreault, Marjorie Pigott, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Vladislav Alexander Tretiak, Pamela Wallen, Sara and Al Waxman, and Micahel Wilson.

Administrative History

Nachman (Nathan) Gittelmacher was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1898, the son of Shloima and Mattie Gittelmacher. Suffering terribly during the pogroms of 1918 and 1920, he fled from place to place and then emigrated to Canada in 1921. Trained as a photographer in Europe, he opened his own photography studio in Toronto in 1922, called Elite Studios. First located at 513 Queen Street West, he soon moved to 615 Queen Street West. Nathan serviced a largely Jewish clientele, photographing weddings, bar mitzvahs, as well as Jewish community events.

Nathan was married to Nina Sokoloff and they had three sons and a daughter: Louis (Lou), Albert (Al), Jack, and Ruth.

During the early 1940s, the family legally changed their name from Gittelmacher to Gilbert and subsequently altered the name of the business to Gilbert Studios. When Nathan moved to the United States, Al, who had been working there since a young age, took over the business and under his management it thrived. In order to accommodate his growing clientele, he moved the studio to Eglinton Avenue and later to 170 Davenport Road, where it is situated today.

Al made a name for himself as a portrait photographer, using natural light in innovative ways to create more natural looking portraits. Al’s primary work involved producing portraits of families, weddings, bar mitzvahs, special events and dinners. Most of his early clients were from the Jewish community. In turn, he also was paid to produce portraits of local entrepreneurs, and his multi-year contract with the city, gave him sole responsibility for the production of portraits of the mayors and councilmen and women. He later branched out beyond the Jewish community, and began to produce images of businessmen and leaders from the Italian community in Toronto.

In addition to the paid contracts involving local personalities and groups, Al Gilbert has also produced many artistic portraits of local, national and international celebrities, artists and leaders such as: Wayne and Shuster, Howie Mandel, Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Robertson Davies, several Canadian prime ministers as well as Prince Charles, all of the Israeli prime ministers, which were made into stamps by the Israeli government, and finally, the last Pope. Gilbert’s work therefore captures a huge range of individuals from the ordinary bride to extraordinary world leaders.

Al has won many awards as well as accolades from his peers throughout his career. He is the three-time recipient of the prestigious Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC) Photographer of the year honour. He has been named Fellow of the photographic societies in Canada, Britain and the United States. In 1990, he was awarded the Order of Canada. In January 2007, the Professional Photographers of America presented him with their Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest honor PPA can bestow on a person for their body of work and influence on professional photography.

Use Conditions

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Subjects

Popes

Presidents--Israel

Prime ministers--Israel

Queens--Great Britain

Name Access

Elizabeth II, Queen of Great Britain, 1926-

John Paul II, Pope, 1920-2005

Netanyahu, Binyamin, 1949-

Peres, Shimon, 1923-2016

Source

Archival Accessions

Accession Number

2010-12-13

Material Format

graphic material

Physical Description

44 photographs : b&w and col. (22 jpgs) ; 41 x 51 cm and 300 dpi

Date

1970-2010

Scope and Content

The records in this accession include 22 portrait prints and the corresponding digital images taken by photographer, Al Gilbert. These photographs document prominent Toronto figures including: Jalyn Bennett, Rudy Bratty, Michael Lee Chin, Archbishop Thomas Collins, Dr. James E. Cruise, Dominic D'Allesandro, Eric Exton, Julian Fantino, Saul Feldberg, Lloyd Fogler, Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl, Harry Gorman, Ben and Hilda Katz, Medhat Mahdy, Rabbi David Monson, Dr. Nancy Olivieri, Rabbi Gunther Plaut, Rabbi Erwin Schild, Judy Sgro, John Tory, Bill Wen, and Joyce Weiland.

Administrative History

Nachman (Nathan) Gittelmacher was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1898, the son of Shloima and Mattie Gittelmacher. Suffering terribly during the pogroms of 1918 and 1920, he fled from place to place and then emigrated to Canada in 1921. Trained as a photographer in Europe, he opened his own photography studio in Toronto in 1922, called Elite Studios. First located at 513 Queen Street West, he soon moved to 615 Queen Street West. Nathan serviced a largely Jewish clientele, photographing weddings, bar mitzvahs, as well as Jewish community events.

Nathan was married to Nina Sokoloff and they had three sons and a daughter: Louis (Lou), Albert (Al), Jack, and Ruth.

During the early 1940s, the family legally changed their name from Gittelmacher to Gilbert and subsequently altered the name of the business to Gilbert Studios. When Nathan moved to the United States, Al, who had been working there since a young age, took over the business and under his management it thrived. In order to accommodate his growing clientele, he moved the studio to Eglinton Avenue and later to 170 Davenport Road, where it is situated today.

Al made a name for himself as a portrait photographer, using natural light in innovative ways to create more natural looking portraits. Al’s primary work involved producing portraits of families, weddings, bar mitzvahs, special events and dinners. Most of his early clients were from the Jewish community. In turn, he also was paid to produce portraits of local entrepreneurs, and his multi-year contract with the city, gave him sole responsibility for the production of portraits of the mayors and councilmen and women. He later branched out beyond the Jewish community, and began to produce images of businessmen and leaders from the Italian community in Toronto.

In addition to the paid contracts involving local personalities and groups, Al Gilbert has also produced many artistic portraits of local, national and international celebrities, artists and leaders such as: Wayne and Shuster, Howie Mandel, Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Robertson Davies, several Canadian prime ministers as well as Prince Charles, all of the Israeli prime ministers, which were made into stamps by the Israeli government, and finally, the last Pope. Gilbert’s work therefore captures a huge range of individuals from the ordinary bride to extraordinary world leaders.

Al has won many awards as well as accolades from his peers throughout his career. He is the three-time recipient of the prestigious Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC) Photographer of the year honour. He has been named Fellow of the photographic societies in Canada, Britain and the United States. In 1990, he was awarded the Order of Canada. In January 2007, the Professional Photographers of America presented him with their Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest honor PPA can bestow on a person for their body of work and influence on professional photography.

Use Conditions

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Source

Archival Accessions

Part Of

Zionist Organization of Canada fonds

Subject files series

Level

File

Fonds

28

Series

5

File

93

Material Format

textual record

Date

1970-1976

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

The file consists of correspondence concerning Canadian Young Judaea, a letter to the editor of the Star Phoenix newspaper, trips to Israel, and celebrations of Israel's independence.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Gilbert Studios fonds

Al Gilbert portraits series

Level

Item

Fonds

37

Series

4

Item

43

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1979]

Physical Description

1 negative : b&w ; 11 x 13 cm

Admin History/Bio

Albert Samuel Waxman was born on March 2, 1935. He had two children named Adam and Tobaron. A well-known Toronto actor, Al's most famous part was on the television series called the King of Kensington. He also appeared in numerous television films, feature films and as a guest on many television sitcoms. Al Waxman was also an adjunct professor of Theatre and Film at York University. He was actively involved with several different charities and community organizations including B'nai B'rith, Big Brothers, Variety Club, the Stratford Festival, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television and many other professional associations.

Al Waxman received a Gemini, an ACTRA award, a Clio and an Emmy. Moreover, he was a recipient of the Queen's Silver Jubilee Medal and was invited into the Order of Canada in 1997. He died in 2001 and a life sized cast bronze statue of Al Waxman was erected in Bellevue Square Park in Kensington Market.

Scope and Content

Photograph is of actor Al Waxman. The portrait is a black and white studio photograph.

Name Access

Waxman, Al

Subjects

Actors

Repro Restriction

Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Zionist Organization of Canada fonds

Publicity photographs of people and events series

Level

File

Fonds

28

Series

6

File

115

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[196-?]

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 9 x 12 cm

Scope and Content

The file consists of a portrait photograph of Al Kaplan.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Passenger Names

Sharp, Al.

Page Number

339

Date Range

June 6, 1911 to January 19, 1915

Photographer

Harvey and Adena Glasner

Source

Rotenberg Ledger

Passenger Names

Kristall, Ele

Page Number

358

Date Range

June 6, 1911 to January 19, 1915

Photographer

Harvey and Adena Glasner

Source

Rotenberg Ledger

Passenger Names

Shtroche, Ele

Page Number

484

Date Range

June 6, 1911 to January 19, 1915

Photographer

Harvey and Adena Glasner

Source

Rotenberg Ledger

Part Of

United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds

Annual Campaign series

Walk with Israel sub-series

Walk for Israel 1990 sub-sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

67

Series

17-1-16

File

15

Material Format

textual record

Date

1990

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File contains a letter from UJA to El Al Airlines in regards to the 1989 grand prize winner of airline tickets.

Notes

Title based on contents of the file.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Accession Number

1986-2-4

Material Format

graphic material

Physical Description

2 negatives : b&w ; 10 x 12 cm

Date

1930-1931

Scope and Content

Accession consists of a two negatives: one of a composite photo of the graduating class from the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto, and one of a composite of the Toronto General Hospital house staff.

Source

Archival Accessions

Part Of

Gilbert Studios fonds

Al Gilbert portraits series

Level

Series

Fonds

37

Series

4

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1941-1978]

Physical Description

56 negatives : b&w, 1 col. ; 18 x 13 cm or smaller

Admin History/Bio

Al Gilbert was born on November 18, 1922 in Toronto. His father Nathan Gittelmacher [Gilbert] owned a photography studio, called Elite Studios, where Al began to learn the photography trade. Al went to Central Technical High School for commercial art and started working at his father's store after he graduated at the age of 19. Al returned to school as an adult and earned his Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsmen degree from the Professional Photographers of America.

Al took over Gilbert Studios and moved to a larger location on Eglinton Street and then later to Davenport Road. Al married, and he and his wife Gail had two children named Nina and Michael.

Al began his career following in the tradition of his father photographing weddings and other significant events in the community. However, he also expanded his repertoire to include series of portraits documenting different cultural and religious groups. While still making a name for himself, Al arranged a deal with a local radio station -- CKEY -- that had a promotional programme called Club 580. The programme was designed to draw music celebrities down to an auditorium where school kids would get the chance to see them. He approached the station, asking if he could photograph these musicians, and in exchange, provide the station with picture postcards depicting the musicians. Some of the entertainers he photographed during this period included: Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, and Dizzy Gillespie. One of his most personally significant series documents all of Israel's Prime Ministers starting in 1959 with David Ben Gurion up until the late 1990s. Most recently, Al finished a series of portraits depicting prominent Italian Canadian men and women.

One of Al Gilbert's photographic influences was George Hurrell, whose portraits of Hollywood movie starts were backlit with spotlights creating a glamorous effect. In 1943, Gilbert started to introduce some of Hurrell's lighting techniques into his portraits. He was constantly changing the window displays at his store to draw attention to his latest techniques and attract a new clientele. Twenty years later, still fascinated with lighting, Al started using more window lighting and doing outdoor photography; he also perfected the technique of simulating natural light using artificial sources of light.

Al Gilbert built his reputation as a portrait photographer. Due to his innovative style and the prominence of his subjects, Al's work has received much recognition -- he has been given the Canadian Photographer of the Year in 1968, 1969, and 1973 from the Professional Photographers of Canada. He was awarded the Order of Canada and held the Confederate Medal of Canada. In addition, he was also the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Photographic Industry of America and the International Award from the American Society of Photographers.

Scope and Content

Series consists of portraits taken by Al Gilbert. The portraits depict prominent individuals from the Toronto Jewish community, Jewish clubs, politicians, and several well-known personalities including the comedians Wayne and Shuster.

Notes

All portraits were selected with the exception of duplicates and portraits where the issue of ownership remains unresolved because the photographer is unknown.

Name Access

Wayne & Shuster

Hurvitz, Rabbi

Hennick, Nat

Posluns

Kayfetz, Carl

Sterling, Bob

Van Der Hout, Victor

Goodman, Eddy

Greenberg, David

Kay, Jimmy

Hall, Robert

Shopsowitz, Sam

Lockshin, Lou

Topper, Harry

Drevnick,Bill

Givens, Phil

Silver, Nathan

Tanenbaum, Wayne

Orliffe, Herbert

Leslie, Dr. Harold

Herman, Woody

Waxman, Al

Wayne, Johnny

Shuster, Frank

Source

Archival Descriptions

Accession Number

2021-4-3

Material Format

graphic material

textual record

object

philatelic record

Physical Description

3153 photographs : b&w and col. (3133 negatives) ; 41 x 51 cm or smaller

13 sheets of postage stamps

1 folder of textual records

2 presentation pieces : 23 x 34 x 2 cm

Date

[1945?]-2006

Scope and Content

Accession consists of Negev Dinner negatives for the years of 1969, 1975-1977, and 1979-2006. Also included are several presentation pieces comprised of portraits that Gilbert took for presidents and prime ministers of Israel and Israeli Prime Ministerial postage stamps produced from those portraits. Some of the presentation pieces are accompanied by thank-you letters address to Gilbert and signatures of Gilbert and presidents and prime ministers of Israel being featured. Accession also includes six portraits featuring Robert Sterling, Elliotte Friedman’s grandmother, [Sydney Sugarman?], and one unidentified person; two unidentified group photographs; one unidentified wedding photograph; and one photograph depicting Al Gilbert at an event. Also included is an oversized group photograph of Greenfild’s Jewish Radio Hour of CKOC featuring Max Mandel and his colleagues.

Negev Dinner honourees include Mark Levy and Harry Gorman (1969); Rabbi Gunther Plaut (1975); James Kay (1976); Premier Bill Davis (1977); Murray Koffler (1979); Rose Wolfe (1980); Theodore Richmond (1981); Arnold Epstein and Madeline Epstein (1982); Kurt Rothschild and Edith Rothschild (1983); Abe Posluns (1984); Donald Carr and Judy Feld Carr (1985); Dr. Gerald Halbert (1986); Edwin Goodman (1987); Douglas Bassett (1988); Max Sharp and Isadore Sharp (1989); Bernard Weinstein (1990); Harry Gorman (1991); Albert Mandel, Nathan Hurwich, and Lewis Moses (1992); George Cohen (1993); Joey Tanenbaum (1994); Leslie Dan (1995); Henry Newton Rowell “Hal” Jackman (1996); Edward Bronfman (1997); Allan Silber (1998); Dr. Anne Golden (1999); Avie Bennett (2000); Alex Grossman (2001); Toby Feldberg and Saul Feldberg (2002); Eli Rubinstein and Renée Rubinstein (2003); Ronald Appleby (2004); Joseph Lebovic and Wolf Lebovic (2005); Ed and Fran Sonshine (2006).

Presidents and prime ministers of Israel being featured include Levi Eshkol, Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin, Shimon Peres, and Chaim Herzog.

Custodial History

Accession donated by Nina Gilbert, Al Gilbert's daughter, on behalf of the Estate of Al Gilbert.

Administrative History

Nachman (Nathan) Gittelmacher was born in Kiev, Ukraine in 1898 to Shloima and Mattie Gittelmacher. Suffering terribly during the pogroms of 1918 and 1920, he fled from place to place and then emigrated to Canada in 1921. Trained as a photographer in Europe, he opened his own photography studio in Toronto in 1922, called Elite Studios. First located at 513 Queen Street West, he soon moved to 615 Queen Street West. Nathan serviced a largely Jewish clientele, photographing weddings, bar mitzvahs, and Jewish community events. Nathan was married to Nina Sokoloff and had three sons and a daughter: Louis (Lou), Albert (Al), Jack, and Ruth. During the early 1940s, the family legally changed their name from Gittelmacher to Gilbert and subsequently altered the name of the business to Gilbert Studios. When Nathan moved to the United States, Al, who had been working there since a young age, took over the business. It thrived under his management. To accommodate his growing clientele, he moved the studio to Eglinton Avenue and later to 170 Davenport Road, where it is situated today. Al made a name for himself as a portrait photographer, using natural light in innovative ways to create more natural looking portraits. Al’s primary work involved producing portraits of families, weddings, bar mitzvahs, special events, and dinners. Most of his early clients were from the Jewish community. He was also paid to produce portraits for local entrepreneurs. Moreover, his multi-year contract with the city gave him sole responsibility of producing portraits for the mayors and council members. He later branched out beyond the Jewish community and began to produce images for businessmen and leaders from the Italian community in Toronto. In addition to the paid contracts involving local personalities and groups, Al Gilbert has also produced many artistic portraits of local, national, and international celebrities, artists, and leaders, such as Wayne and Shuster, Howie Mandel, Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Robertson Davies, several Canadian prime ministers, Prince Charles, and the last Pope. He also produced portraits for all of the Israeli prime ministers, which were made into postage stamps by the Israeli government. Gilbert’s work, therefore, captures a huge range of individuals from the ordinary brides to extraordinary world leaders. Throughout his career, Al has won many professional awards and accolades from his peers. He is the three-time recipient of the prestigious Photographer of the Year award of the Professional Photographers of Canada (PPOC). He has been named Fellow of the photographic societies in Canada, Britain, and the United States. In 1990, he was awarded the Order of Canada. In January 2007, the Professional Photographers of America (PPA) presented him with their Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is the highest honour that PPA can bestow on a person for their body of work and influence on professional photography.

Use Conditions

Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the Archives to obtain permission prior to use.

Subjects

Photographers

Name Access

Gilbert, Al, 1922-2019

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Level

Item

Item

3533

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1921]

Physical Description

1 photograph : sepia ; 10 x 7 cm (sight) in matte 19 x 13 cm

Admin History/Bio

Al Bochner became a psychiatrist in the United States. Mosie Bochner married the daughter of Yolles, who owned a furniture store on Yonge Street, south of Bloor Street in Toronto.

Scope and Content

This item is an original studio portrait of Al and Mosie Bochner of Guelph, Ontario.

Notes

Title taken from identification list provided by the donor.

Photographer was C. Burgess of Guelph, Ont.

Subjects

Children

Portraits

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Places

Guelph (Ont.)

Accession Number

1981-4-8

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Levine and Cass family fonds

Soskin family series

Level

Item

Fonds

25

Series

10

Item

5

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1918]

Physical Description

1 photograph : b&w ; 17 x 11 cm

Scope and Content

Item is a photographic portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Al Cole, possibly taken in Los Angeles circa 1918.

Name Access

Cole, Al

Subjects

Married people

Portraits

Repro Restriction

Copyright is in the public domain and permission for use is not required. Please credit the Ontario Jewish Archives as the source of the photograph.

Physical Condition

There are stains on the photograph.

Places

Los Angeles (Calif.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Board of Jewish Education fonds

School files series

Level

File

Fonds

48

Series

5

File

212

Material Format

textual record

Date

1956-1962

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

United Jewish Welfare Fund fonds

Toronto Holocaust Museum series

Subject files sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

67

Series

28-22

File

5

Material Format

textual record

Date

1980-1983

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of correspondence and material related to programs at Beth El Synagogue in Newfoundland.

Name Access

Beth El Synagogue (St. John's, N.L.)

Subjects

Synagogues

Places

St. John's (N.L.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Accession Number

2017-1-9

Material Format

textual record

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Date

2011-2012

Scope and Content

Accession consists of three "The Shofar" bulletins, dated September-October 2011, November-December 2011 and January-February 2012. Contents of the bulletins contain a list of the Board of Directors, message from the Rabbi, Youth Group news, Adult Education programs, calendar of events, updates from the Social Action Committee, yahrzeits, birthdays, anniversaries, birth announcements as well as paid advertisements.

Subjects

Synagogue bulletins

Name Access

Shaarei-Beth El Congregation (Toronto, Ont.)

Source

Archival Accessions

Part Of

Canadian Jewish Congress, Ontario Region fonds

Community Relations Committee series

Anti-Semitism cases sub-series

Level

File

Fonds

17

Series

5-3

File

56

Material Format

textual record

Date

1963

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File consists of an Ontario Government press release regarding a complaint against the El Mocambo for discriminatory practices in not allowing "negro" patrons

Notes

Previously processed and cited as part of MG8 S.

Subjects

Clubs

Discrimination

Source

Archival Descriptions

Passenger Names

Luft, Ele, Perel, Riwke

Page Number

200

Date Range

June 6, 1911 to January 19, 1915

Photographer

Harvey and Adena Glasner

Source

Rotenberg Ledger

Part Of

Samuel Crystal fonds

1967 UJA Mission series

Level

Item

Fonds

145

Series

1

Item

31

Material Format

graphic material

Other Title Information

Title based on contents of image.

Date

1967

Physical Description

1 photograph : col. ; 9 x 9 cm

Notes

Availability of other formats: Also available as TIFF file.

Subjects

Hotels

Repro Restriction

Copyright is held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. Please contact the archives to obtain permission prior to use.

Source

Archival Descriptions

Accession Number

2012-12-3

Physical Description

7 photographs : b&w, silver gelatine print ; 36 x 28 cm

2 p. of textual records

1 photograph : col. ; 36 x 28 cm

Scope and Content

Accession consists of two custom boxes, the first containing 8 photographic prints depicting Oscar Peterson in various years ranging from 1950 to 1997, photographed by Al Gilbert. Each print is signed and numbered. The second box contains an overview of the folio, with an introduction by Kelly Peterson and a listing of the photographic prints.

Administrative History

Oscar Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer.

The Oscar Peterson Folio was a limited edition, numbered as 7 of 33 folios from the original negatives and files.

Descriptive Notes

The photographs are contained in archival sleeves in a custom archival portfolio.

Oscar Peterson's signature appears on the outside of one of the boxes.

Name Access

Peterson, Oscar

Gilbert, Al

Source

Archival Accessions

URL

http://www.ontariojewisharchives.org/Explore/Themed-Topics/Al-Gilbert

Source

OJA Website

Level

Item

Item

3750

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1950]

Physical Description

1 photograph

Scope and Content

Left to right: Rabbi Schild; Laura Schild; Seymour Shachter; Beatrice Shachter. The wedding took place at Shaarei Shomayim Synagogue.

Name Access

Schild, Erwin, 1920-

Schild, Laura

Shachter, Beatrice

Shachter, Seymour

Shaarei Shomayim Congregation (Toronto, Ont.)

Subjects

Rabbis

Weddings

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Accession Number

1985-5-11

Source

Archival Descriptions

Level

Item

Item

6015

Material Format

graphic material

Date

May 1990

Physical Description

1 photograph

Notes

Acquired May 1990.

Name Access

Nemal ha-te ufah Ben-Guryon

United Jewish Appeal

Subjects

Airports

Immigrants--Israel

Jews--Soviet Union

Repro Restriction

Copyright may not be held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Israel

Accession Number

1991-9-1

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Board of Jewish Education fonds

School files series

Level

File

Fonds

48

Series

5

File

169

Material Format

textual record

Date

1964-1983

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Name Access

Temple Emanu-El (Toronto, Ont.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

Board of Jewish Education fonds

School files series

Level

File

Fonds

48

Series

5

File

170

Material Format

textual record

Date

1984-1998

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Name Access

Temple Emanu-El (Toronto, Ont.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

George Morrison fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

99

Item

65

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1978]

Physical Description

1 slide : col. ; 35 mm

Name Access

Temple Beth-El

Temple Emanu-El (Toronto, Ont.)

Subjects

Architecture

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Accession Number

1980-6-3

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

George Morrison fonds

Level

Item

Fonds

99

Item

67

Material Format

graphic material

Date

[ca. 1978]

Physical Description

1 slide : col. ; 35 mm

Name Access

Temple Beth-El

Temple Emanu-El (Toronto, Ont.)

Subjects

Architecture

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Accession Number

1980-6-3

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

The Shuls Project fonds

Ontario synagogues series

Level

File

Fonds

64

Series

2

File

6

Material Format

graphic material

textual record

Date

1979

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

26 photographs : col. slides, (1) b&w print, b&w negatives ; 35 mm and 12 x 9 cm

Subjects

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Cornwall (Ont.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

The Shuls Project fonds

Ontario synagogues series

Level

File

Fonds

64

Series

2

File

20

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1979

Physical Description

15 photographs : col. slides, b&w prints ; 35 mm and 12 x 9 cm

Subjects

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Oakville (Ont.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

The Shuls Project fonds

Ontario synagogues series

Level

File

Fonds

64

Series

2

File

96

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1979

Physical Description

3 photographs : col. slides, b&w prints, b&w negatives ; 35 mm and 12 x 9 cm

Name Access

Temple Emanu-El (Toronto, Ont.)

Subjects

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

The Shuls Project fonds

Ontario synagogues series

Level

File

Fonds

64

Series

2

File

110

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1979

Physical Description

26 photographs : col. slides, (1) b&w prints, b&w negatives ; 35 mm and 12 x 9 cm

Subjects

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Windsor (Ont.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

The Shuls Project fonds

Reference series

Level

File

Fonds

64

Series

5

File

7

Material Format

textual record

Date

1955

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File contains a photocopy of the 1955 self-survey of the Jewish community of Cornwall, Ontario. Several self-surveys were conducted in the 1950s under the auspices of the Canadian Jewish Congress.

Subjects

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Cornwall (Ont.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Part Of

The Shuls Project fonds

Reference series

Level

File

Fonds

64

Series

5

File

84

Material Format

textual record

Date

[1979?]

Physical Description

1 folder of textual records

Scope and Content

File contains two copied pictures.

Name Access

Temple Emanu-El (Toronto, Ont.)

Subjects

Synagogues

Repro Restriction

Copyright is not held by the Ontario Jewish Archives. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain permission prior to use.

Places

Toronto (Ont.)

Source

Archival Descriptions

Level

Item

Item

1380

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1977

Physical Description

1 slide (kodachrome) : col. ; 35 mm

Scope and Content

This item is an original slide of the exterior of the Beth El Synagogue in Oakville, Ontario.

Name Access

Shaarei-Beth El Congregation of Halton (Oakville, Ont.)

Subjects

Synagogues

Places

Oakville (Ont.)

Accession Number

1977-6-7

Source

Archival Descriptions

Level

Item

Item

1379

Material Format

graphic material

Date

1977

Physical Description

1 slide (kodachrome) : col. ; 35 mm

Scope and Content

This item is an original slide of the exterior of the Beth El Synagogue in Oakville, Ontario.

Name Access

Shaarei-Beth El Congregation of Halton (Oakville, Ont.)

Subjects

Synagogues

Places

Oakville (Ont.)

Accession Number

1977-6-7

Source

Archival Descriptions