Local News
The hits keep on coming for one of the University of Manitoba’s longest-serving profs
By MYRON LOVE Over the course of a 55-year career teaching at the University of Manitoba, Dr. Michael Eskin has accumulated an armful of accolades for his ground-breaking research in the development of canola, as well as other edible oils. Over the years, the professor in the U of M’s Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences and Fellow of American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS), Institute of Food Technologists, Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology and the Institute of Food Science and Technology(UK), has published over 250 research articles, book chapters, monographs, abstracts and several patents. He has published 18 books, including two on canola. He has also done extensive research on enzymes and gums as well as having developed a number of colorimetric methods, including one for phytate that is still used worldwide.
And, his work has not gone unrecognized by his colleague,s both at his university and in his field internationally.
Last year, the University of Manitoba conferred on him the title of Distinguished Professor, an honour that is only awarded to a maximum of three professors a year – and is limited to no more than 25 profs at any one time.
Over the years, Eskin – a native of Birmingham, England – has been inducted into the Order of Manitoba and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Last year, he also received the Institute of Food Technologists Lifetime Achievement Award. 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 have been recipients of the award.
Three years ago, he was honoured with the American Oil Chemists Society’s (AOCS) Supelco Award for his research in fats, oils, lipid chemistry and biochemistry. The Supelco award is considered the world prize in lipid research.
The AOCS has recognized Eskin many times over the past 15 years with different awards and this time, he will receive the 2023 A.R Baldwin Distinguished Service Award for distinguished service to AOCS. This Award recognizes long-term, distinguished service to AOCS in a variety of positions of significant responsibility, and is the Society’s highest service award. It will be presented at the Annual Meeting in Denver later this year.
Eskin was also awarded the 2023 Canola Excellence Award by the Manitoba Canola Growers Association to be presented at their Annual Conference being held at the Victoria Inn in a couple of weeks’ time.
Now in his 81st year, Michael Eskin is still not quite ready to be put out to pasture. He is still teaching one course at the university three times a week, as well as doing some guest lectures. He is continuing with research. Most recently, in mid-January, he gave a presentation at an international trainees symposium in Agri-Food, Nutrition and Health at the Canadian Centre for Agri-Food Research in Health and Medicine at St. Boniface Hospital on: “How to succeed in gradute studies without even crying.” From all reports, its humor and wisdom made it one of the highlights of the meeting.
Michael has also just finished his latest “protein rap” recording and is just waiting for his musical son, Josh, to finalize it so that it can be turned into a video.
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First year medical student Tim Rozovsky founds new association for local Jewish medical students
By MYRON LOVE In the face of a concerning surge in antisemitism over the past nearly three years, I am happy to report a good news story in that regard. Tim Rozovsky, the founder of the new Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba, reports that he and his fellow Jewish students enrolled in the University of Manitoba’s Max Rady College of Medicine are not experiencing any significant issues involving antisemitism.
Hopefully, the matter of the notorious Med school Valedictorian who used his podium to attack Israel was a one-off.
“My goal in forming the Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba,” says the first year medical student, “was to create a safe, supportive environment for my fellow Jewish medical students.”
He reports that the current first year class at the school has eight Jewish students – an increase over more recent years – with maybe a dozen more in the other years.
For a new medical student, Rozovsky already has an impressive resume. He was born in Russia and grew up in Israel. After the completion of his army service in 2018, the then-22-year-old rejoined his parents, Dr. Katya and Alexander, who had moved to Winnipeg a few years before.
Prior to coming to Winnipeg, Rozovsky had completed a personal trainer program out of The Academic College at Wingate in Jerusalem. Some readers may know the young man from his work as a Master Personal Trainer at the Rady JCC.
Shortly after arriving here, he enrolled in a kinesiology program at the University of Winnipeg. He graduated with a BKin Honours in 2023 and did post graduate work at the University of Manitoba. Last fall, he received his MSc in Physiology and Pathophysiology – earning two gold medals, along with 32 awards and scholarships in the process.
Rozovsky says that it was his mother who inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. Dr. Katya Rozovsky is an associate professor at the University of Manitoba and an attending radiologist, specializing in pediatric diagnostic imaging.
(Tim also adds that his wife, Irina Gelzin, whom he married about a year ago, is training to be a nurse.)
Insofar as the Jewish Medical Students’ Association of Manitoba is concerned, Rozovky reports that the group gets together multiple times a year. One of its programs was a joint Chanukah celebration with the Jewish Physicians Association of Manitoba.
There was also a joint program with the Christian Medical and Dental Students’ Association of Manitoba.
“More recently, we have been helping prospective Jewish medical students with their applications,” he says. “Hopefully we will be able to get together over the summer with the incoming Jewish students.”
As to his own future plans, Rozovsky notes that it is too early for him to be deciding on a specialty. “My goal,” he says, “is to work hard and get good grades and become the best doctor that I can be.”
Local News
Gray Academy to Represent Manitoba at National Reach for the Top Competition
By NOAH STRAUSS Posted June 6) Gray Academy’s Reach for the Top team is headed to Moncton, New Brunswick, to represent Manitoba at the National Reach for the Top tournament.
Reach for the Top is a Canadian school league that quizzes teenagers on a variety of different topics, from science and history to pop culture. Reach started out in 1961 in Vancouver, where a local CBC station broadcasted the new show; it eventually became a national broadcast starting in 1966. Alex Trebek, who famously hosted Jeopardy!, started out by hosting Reach for the Top.
Gray Academy’s very own team, made up of Grade 7 and 8 students, will travel to Moncton, New Brunswick, to compete as Team Manitoba. By winning the provincial Reach tournament, they secured their spot in the national competition.
Faculty members at Gray Academy are very supportive of the program. The Jewish Post spoke with three different staff members at the school. Coach and high school teacher Danielle Miller says she is excited for the trip; although she will not be accompanying the team herself, shehas coached them all year.
“This year we had over 20 students come to the club to join us, they practice twice a cycle at lunch,” Miller said. Due to the large turnout this year, two teams had to be formed. At lunch practices, students split into two teams of four where each player has a buzzer. The two teams compete to see who can answer the most questions correctly.
One of the two teams did exceptionally well at various tournaments throughout the year and will be traveling to nationals as the sole team representing Manitoba.
Co-coach Micah Doerksen described Reach as a great academic competition where young minds are tested on various topics through quick,fast-paced questions.
High school guidance counselor Lindsey Leipsic said, “We have athletes, non-athletes, we have students who are really involved and students who are not as involved at school, and we have quiet leaders, and we’ve seen friendships be built in Reach.” Some of her favorite memories of Reach involve seeing students from across Winnipeg come to Gray Academy and bond with one another. Lev Chisick, who is competing at nationals, agreed, saying, “Moncton is going to strengthen our school spirit and make us a better team.”
As the junior team makes their way to Moncton, the senior team will head to provincials. Later this week, students from the senior team will travel to Virden, Manitoba, to compete at the provincial level. The team qualified after placing high enough at their most recent tournament, which took place at St. Paul’s.
Confidence is high as the school heads into these final tournaments. When Nath Goldenberg, who is also competing at nationals, was asked what he is most looking forward to, his answer was short and sweet:“Winning.”

