Michael Kutz was born in Nieswiez, Poland (present-day Belarus) on November 21, 1930. He arrived in Canada as a war orphan in 1948 and lived in Winnipeg before settling in Montreal in the early 1950s, where he joined various charitable organizations dedicated to helping disadvantaged youth, the elderly and war veterans. He continues to be engaged in community initiatives and regularly speaks to students about the Holocaust. Michael Kutz and his wife, Pat, live in Montreal.