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The awards keep coming in for Professor Michael Eskin, the longest serving member of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences
By MYRON LOVE “My mother-in-law, the late Rose Kessler, always used to say that you should never retire and she was right,” comments Michael Eskin. “If I had retired at 65, I am not sure if I would have accomplished all that I have.”
Eskin (who is originally from Birmingham, England) is now in his 54th year of teaching in the University of Manitoba Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences.
He has also served as Department Chair and Associate Dean. In 2017, he was selected by the students in his faculty as Professor of the Year.
During the course of his storied career, Eskin – who is also a long time chazzan and occasional singer/songwriter – has written or co-written 17 books related to food science and published over 250 research articles, book chapters, monographs and abstracts. He also holds several patents.
The centerpiece of his career has been his work on the development of edible oils; he played a key role in the successful development of canola oil.
Not surprisingly, such an illustrious career does not go unnoticed by his peers and society as a whole. Two years ago, he became just the fifth Canadian scientist – and the first food scientist at the University of Manitoba – to receive the Supelco AOCS Research Award from the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS), which is considered the foremeost prize in the area of lipids.
This award has been presented to scientists in many different disciplines, including organic chemistry, physical chemistry, biochemistry and nutrition. Eskin has been an active member of the society for many years, having served as chair of the AOCS Lipid Oxidation and Quality Division, and was the first chair of the AOCS Division Council. In addition to serving as an associate editor of the Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, he was also co-editor of Lipid Technology for seven years and is associate editor of education for the AOCS Lipid Library.
Last year was an amazing one for him. In 2021, the beloved professor received the Order of Manitoba and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. During that year he also taught two online courses, published two (of his 17) books and 13 papers. He also wrote and performed a special tribute celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the discovery of insulin in Canada, which was shown at the Annual Virtual Conference of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, and which received CBC coverage.
In 2021 he also received recognition from Elsevier/Academic Press as it marked the 50th anniversary of the publication of his first book, “Biochemistry of Foods,” now in its third edition and used throughout the world. In honor of his contributions to Elsevier/Academic Press, which includes eight other of his books, a volume in their prestigious series, “Advances in Food and Nutrition Research,” was dedicated to him.
As bountiful as 2021 was for Eskin, 2022 is proving to be another stellar year. He reports that in February, he was a Keynote Speaker at the Annual (Virtual) Meeting of the Canadian Section of the American Oil Chemists’ Society.
In March, he received notification that a paper published in the prestigious Chinese Journal of Science and Technology of Cereals, Oils and Foods with Professor Liuping Fan of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, China, received an Outstanding Paper Award.
In April, he received an e-mail from the President of the Institute of Food Technologists in the USA, the premier food science professional society in the world, that a jury of his peers had selected him as the 2022 Recipient of the very prestigious IFT Lifetime Achievement Award in Honor of Nicolas Appert. “This is considered one of the major awards of the society given to an individual for consistent lifetime contributions to advancing the science of food,” he notes.
Eskin adds that he is the first Canadian recipient of this award – putting him in the company of a very distinguished group of scientists from around the world who were previous recipients of this award.
The award consists of a bronze medal and cheque that will be awarded at the Annual Conference of IFT in Chicago later this year.
The IFT Lifetime Achievement Award is the twelfth major award that Eskin has received over the past decade – making him the University of Manitoba’s most honored food scientist.
As a recording artist, his latest composition is a song he wrote and performed celebrating the 200th birthday of Louis Pasteur – which was recorded and edited for presentation at this year’s American Oil Chemists’ Society Annual Meeting in May.
Eskin was particularly touched by the recent announcement that his department is establishing a special Graduate Student Travel Award in honor of both him and his wife, Nella. “Without Nella’s support over the years, none of my successes would have been possible,” he says. “An award in both of our names was perfect.”
Local News
Nakba exhbit at CMHR – you can see it right here and make your own assessment
By BERNIE BELLAN (Posted June 26, updated July 19) The Nakba exhibit at the Canadian Exhibit for Human Rights opened to the public June 27. The morning before the exhibit was set to open to the public, (it had a private opening for invited guests the evening of June 26) we received a press release from the CMHR. That press release gave a very detailed description of what was in the exhibit, along with photos (supplied by Annie Kierans of the CMHR).
There is also a link right at the beginning of the press release that will allow you to watch the same videos that anyone attending the exhibit can watch. We reprinted what was sent to us without making one edit. We leave it to you to form your own opinion as to whether the exhibit is fair in its presentation, and whether it is lacking “context” – which is an accusation that has been levelled at the exhibit’s organizers by some representatives of Jewish organizations.
We have received many emails in reaction to the exhibit. If you have an opinion and would like to see it published on this website, you can send it to jewishp@mymts.net, but please indicate whether you would be willing to have it published on this website.
Here is what we received the morning of June 26:
Winnipeg, MB — June 26, 2026 — The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) will open a new exhibit tomorrow that explores human rights violations related to the ongoing forced displacement of Palestinian Canadians.
Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present will be on display in the Rights Today gallery on Level 5 until 2028. Featuring personal stories told through artifacts and video testimonies, the exhibit presents Palestinian Canadians reflecting on their ongoing struggle for human rights. The small exhibit reveals enduring patterns of loss and resilience, helping visitors understand more about this contemporary human rights story.
Palestinian Canadian stories are now included alongside many other stories of forced displacement and human rights violations featured in the Museum’s galleries. Each of these stories contribute to our visitors understanding of human rights and help the Museum fulfill its mandate to foster reflection and dialogue.
Exhibition highlights
Personal stories and artifacts: Experience firsthand accounts from Palestinian Canadians sharing their journeys of displacement and memory through a series of five artifacts. Cases display artifacts like property deeds, house keys, and a traditional Palestinian embroidered dress, accompanied by short videos that deepen understanding of the impacts of displacement.
Powerful artworks: In her painting Bound Together in Gaza, Malak Mattar, a Gazan artist, captures the struggles and resilience of her generation shaped by conflict. Her work pays homage to Guernica, Picasso’s powerful masterpiece depicting civilian suffering during war.
Curfews and Closures, by Rajie Cook, bears witness to life under military occupation during the 2000–2005 Palestinian uprising, when curfews and closures were expanded and further limited basic rights and freedoms.
Cultural heritage: Discover traditional Palestinian embroidery called tatreez. Tatreez motifs and colours are tied to place, family history and regional identity. Patterns are associated with particular towns, villages or areas of Palestine. In this way, tatreez is a form of storytelling: a way of preserving memory, sustaining identity and expressing resilience across displacement and exile.
Poetry and reflection: Engage with Mahmoud Darwish’s evocative verses, inspiring personal reflection on exile, voice, and responsibility. Visitors can take a card containing Darwish’s poem and add a personal note, fostering ongoing dialogue beyond the exhibit.
Contemporary context: Witness striking images of current events in Gaza and the West Bank, connecting past displacement to ongoing struggles.
Quotes:
“No force can silence the truth we carry. Growing up in Canada, my children lived the Nakba through our stories. And now we watch it happen again, live, on our phones. When I see the images coming out of Gaza, I am not watching the news. I am watching my history repeat itself.” -Fouad Sahyoun, a Palestinian Canadian featured in the exhibit
“We developed this exhibit with a clear awareness that Palestinian Canadian voices have too often been marginalized, silenced or spoken over — and that anti-Palestinian racism affects whose stories are heard and whose suffering is recognized. That is why we intentionally centred Palestinian Canadian voices throughout the exhibit.” -Isabelle Masson, Curator of Palestine Uprooted
“Human rights matter precisely when they are inconvenient, when the question of who deserves the dignity of having their rights recognized is genuinely contested. These are the moments where having a national museum for human rights is most important.
There are people who believe this exhibit should not exist in its current form. There are people who believe it should have existed sooner. There are people who will visit this exhibit and feel that it does not say enough, and others who will feel it says too much.
We have listened to every one of these voices. We have reflected. And we have renewed our resolve to continue the difficult, sometimes contested, and often controversial work of building understanding about human rights. We are a museum grounded in Canada’s human rights framework, whose mandate requires us to bear witness to the full complexity of the human story. We are proud to open this exhibit because the story it tells will help achieve that mandate, and because this story belongs in the collective memory of Canadians.”
- – Isha Khan, CEO
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A photo that’s being circulated on the internet about me
For those of you not familiar with nutjob Michael Kalo – the psycho who created the notorious “$hitler’s List” years ago and the same psycho who went after Ben Carr, well – now he’s obviously taken a strong disliking to the stance I’ve taken on the Nakba exhibit at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. (You can read elsewhere on this website how I simply posted the entire exhibit as it is – and asked readers to form their own opinions.)
Kalo likes to send out emails to various individual using phony names – such as Frank Ostrowski. When people ask me (or asked Ben Carr) why we don’t take action against him, my answer is: What’s the use? He only basks in the attention.
So Michael – enjoy the attention you’re receiving. I know how much of an embarrassment you are to your wonderfully talented daughters.
Local News
Ami Hassan returning as owner of Falafel Place
By BERNIE BELLAN In a surprise move – and after more than a six-year absence as owner of Falafel Place (Corydon at Wilton) the legendary Ami Hassan has decided to return as owner of one of Winnipeg’s most famous eateries.
Long known for his sometimes irreverent attitude to his customers, e.g., “If you’re finished, get out!”, Ami decided to return to running Falafel Place after having retired years ago (or so he thought) from running the Corydon Avenue restaurant.
We asked Ami whether he’ll be sending a special invitation to Julia Roberts to come visit him at Falafel Place. He asked again: “Who’s Julia Roberts?” (Just kidding – he really does know how Julia Roberts is.) Read the story how Ami told her to leave the restaurant and come back later at Julia Roberts turned away from Falafel Place
Ami did note that when customers saw him inside the restaurant one recent day as he was getting it ready for the reopening Monday, August 10, over 20 of them came in asking him if he was open already.
We asked Ami whether the menu will be the same as it was when he last ran the place and he said everything will be the same.
Falafel Place will be open 7 days a week from 7 am – 2 pm. Remember, if you’re finished – get out!
