The Zelikovitz Centre for Jewish Studies mourns the passing (June 9 2020) of Dr. Morris Schnitzer, world-renowned researcher in soil organic chemistry, author, and Holocaust survivor.
His Memoir (My Three Selves) is the story of his survival in German-occupied Europe for six years, from 1939 to 1945. He came to Canada in 1947 to join his brother. Deprived of his education by the war he soon made up for his lost years, entering McGill’s B Sc. Program in 1948, and graduating with his PhD in soil chemistry in 1955.
In 1995, Dr Schnitzer (jointly with Dr, Frank J. Stevenson) was awarded the Wolf Prize in Agriculture for their pioneering contributions to our understanding of the chemistry of soil organic matter and its application to agriculture. The Wolf Prize in Agriculture is awarded once a year and is sometimes considered the equivalent of a “Nobel Prize in Agriculture”.
This past, Dr. Schnitzer was invited to 580 CFRA, to share some of his stories as part of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. He shared some of his story, his concerns about today’s world, and the lessons he learned from the Holocaust. These are : “Do the right thing.”
and “Don’t let never again become again.”