Former Brazilian president among recipients of TAU honorary degrees

Tel Aviv University bestowed leading scientists, artists, prominent donors to academia, entrepreneurs and politicians as well as others honorary degrees on Thursday evening.Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former president of Brazil received an honorary doctorate in recognition of his accomplishments as a “respected national leader, intellectual, scholar and statesman” as well as “his ongoing endeavors to leverage his international renown to promote peace and human rights; and his warm friendship toward the State of Israel.”Additional international recipients of the degree included, Ronnie Chan, Hong Kong, an entrepreneur and philanthropist who has promoted Sino-Israel relations; and Paulina Luisa Mizrahi de Deutsch, Argentina, for her “inspiring and engaged leadership role in Argentina’s Jewish community spanning decades.”Also included are Prof. David Sankoff, Canada, for his accomplishments in computational biology and the evolution of the genome; and Prof. Paul Zimmet, Australia, for his contribution to “world medical progress” as a foremost expert in diabetes mellitus.In addition, Israeli recipients of the degree included Agi Mishol, for her “standing as one of Israel’s most prominent and best-loved poets,” and Gil Shwed, founding father of the modern firewall.The university also bestowed the 2014 Honorary Fellowship to the Cameri Theater of Tel Aviv for “its singular contribution over seven decades to enhancing Israeli culture in general and cultural life in Tel Aviv in particular.”