Moshe Schnitzer

Moshe Schnitzer (; 1921 – August 16, 2007) was a Romanian Jewish immigrant to Israel who became a key player in the international diamond trade. From 1967 to 1993 he was President of the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE), which became the world's largest diamond exchange.

Early years Schnitzer was born in Chernowitz, then in Romania, in 1921.

Schnitzer also fought in the Irgun, a Zionist paramilitary group that was seeking to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. The connections he made there with future leaders helped him later in his business life.

In 1947 he was one of the founders of the Israel Diamond Exchange (ISDE), created by the unification of all diamond institutions in the country. Annual exports on polished diamonds from Israel grew during his tenure 17-fold, from $200 million to $3.4 billion. Schnitzer arranged to establish the Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Museum in Ramat Gan in 1986 and was the museum's Chairman until July 2003.

Honors and legacy

Moshe Schnitzer was awarded the Israel Prize in 2004, the highest civilian award given by Israel. The award was given for "making a special contribution to the State of Israel and Israeli society". It recognized his pivotal role in making Israel one of the main diamond manufacturing centers in the world. He was also awarded the Order of King Leopold of Belgium for his contribution to the international diamond industry. He was given an honorary doctorate from Bar-Ilan University. The plaza adjacent to the diamond exchange in Ramat Gan is called the Moshe Schnitzer Plaza. His son, Shmuel Schnitzer, was also a president of the IDE and the WFDB. His grandson Dan Gertler became prominent in the diamond business in Africa.

According to WFDB president Ernest Blom, "Moshe Schnitzer was a visionary. After laying the foundation in Israel for what would grow, largely according to his plan, into one of the world’s most important diamond centers, he turned his attention to the WFDB and the international diamond trade. He realized that our strength lay in our ability to complement one another, working together as an international network of colleagues, rather than as competitors. Generations of diamantaires from all over the world considered him a mentor and a leader".