TORONTO — For his commitment to peace in the Middle East and for his philanthropic activities in Canada and Israel, Dr. Michael Dan will receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Haifa at a tribute dinner next month in Toronto.
Dr. Michael Dan
A human rights activist, Dan is a major benefactor of the University of Haifa and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, as well as a member of the board of directors of Canadian Friends of Haifa University.
With a diverse student body of 18,000, the University of Haifa is a mosaic of Jews, Arabs, Druze and immigrants who come together to share knowledge, study and socialize. Proceeds from the Nov. 15 event, titled Partners for Peace, will support the university’s recently established peace and conflict management studies program, which aims to give a new generation of leaders the capacity to promote more effective approaches to conflict resolution.
“Dan is one of those rare individuals who embodies the true spirit of tzedakah,” said Karen Mock, president of Canadian Friends of Haifa University. “When I first joined the board of CFHU, I was immediately impressed by his modesty, sincerity and commitment to human rights and peace initiatives, backed by an overwhelming generosity but with a desire to remain behind the scenes in order to empower others to succeed.”
Dan said he’s “extremely proud” of the university. “Anyone in North America or in the Diaspora who might have a tendency to be critical of Israel should really look at this university as a special case separate and on its own, because what goes on there is truly amazing. The standard of integration among the different communities [20 per cent of the student body is Arab] is a model for coexistence that the rest of the country should follow. This is an institution that does not get enough recognition.”
He said the peace and conflict management studies program will be open to Israeli and international students at the master’s level. “It will offer a multi-disciplinary approach to peace and conflict resolution and the graduates will most likely go on to work in either government or non-government organizations as professionally trained peace negotiators. They will have superb qualifications when they finish this program.”
His wife, Amira, first exposed Dan to the University of Haifa, he said. To celebrate his union, Dan gave his bride the gift of an endowment fund in her name that provides doctoral fellowships for underprivileged students at the school.
Dan comes from a background of neurosurgery, medical research and biotechnology, having earned a medical degree from the University of Toronto and a PhD from McGill University.
After five years as an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Louisiana State University’s school of medicine in New Orleans, Dan left the field to become the CEO of Novopharm Biotech, a drug research firm. He’s currently president of Regulus Investments and a trustee of the Paloma Foundation, an organization that assists charities in providing services for women’s and children’s health.
Dan is also president of Gemini Power Corp., a renewable energy company, and is currently working with Canada’s First Nations to develop hydroelectric power and other sustainable energy projects.
The Nov. 15 event will feature a performance by Noa and Mira, a renowned Israeli Arab and Jewish singing duo whose music focuses on what Jews and Arabs can strive for if they choose dialogue over violence.