Jack Rabinovitch (24 June 1930 – 6 August 2017) OC, O.Ont was a Canadian philanthropist best known for founding the

Giller Prize The Giller Prize (sponsored as the Scotiabank Giller Prize), is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English (including translation) the previous year, after an annual juried competition be ...

which is named after his late wife,

Doris Giller Doris Giller (22 January 1931 – 25 April 1993) was a Canadian journalist, who was best known as a literary editor for the ''Montreal Gazette'' and the ''Toronto Star'' and as the namesake of the Scotiabank Giller Prize. Giller was born in Montre ...

, who was a literary columnist for the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

''.

Life and career

Rabinovitch was born and raised in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

to Isaac Rabinovitch and Fanny Shulman, then graduated from

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

with a BA in English. Rabinovitch was a reporter and speechwriter who later turned to business (working for Sam Steinberg of food retailer Steinbergs) and made his fortune in food retailing and real estate. He joined real estate developer

Trizec Corporation Trizec Properties, Inc., previously known as TrizecHahn Corporation, was a real estate investment trust headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It was originally a Canadian company. The name is derived from the initials of the three groups (Tri) that f ...

in the 1970s and was an executive who helped develop six million square feet of hotel, commercial and retail space. He was ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian perspe ...

'' magazine's man of the year in 1999 and was a recipient of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

and the

Order of Ontario The Order of Ontario () is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is adm ...

Personal life

Rabinovitch and Giller moved to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

in 1985, where he remained until his death.

Death and legacy

Rabinovitch died on 6 August 2017, aged 87. He was laid to rest at Beth Tzedec Memorial Park. After his death, the

Toronto Public Library Toronto Public Library (TPL) (french: Bibliothèque publique de Toronto) is a public library system in Toronto, Ontario. It is the largest public library system in Canada, and in 2008 had averaged a higher circulation per capita than any other pu ...

opened the Jack Rabinovitch Reading Room inside the

Toronto Reference Library The Toronto Reference Library is a public reference library in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The library is located on the corner of Yonge Street and Asquith Avenue, within the Yorkville neighbourhood of downtown Toronto. The Toronto Reference Library ...

in downtown Toronto in 2019. Rabinovitch's book collection and his other memorabilia are on display there, and events leading to the Giller Prize are being held here.

References

1930 births 2017 deaths Businesspeople from Montreal Officers of the Order of Canada Members of the Order of Ontario Jewish Canadian philanthropists Businesspeople from Toronto McGill University alumni 20th-century philanthropists {{Canada-business-bio-stub