Prof. Raanan Rein receives honor from King of Spain

The award was given to Prof. Rein for his lifelong work in strengthening the cultural and academic ties between Spain and Israel

28 February 2017

Prof. Raanan Rein, Vice President of Tel Aviv University, was awarded the honorary medal of the Order of Civil Merit of the King of Spain, Felipe VI, by the Spanish ambassador to Israel, Mr. Fernando Carderera.

 

Prof. Rein received the award for his lifelong work in promoting the academic and cultural ties between Israel and Spain, both as a researcher and the Vice President of Tel Aviv University. The festive ceremony, held at the TAU campus, was attended by TAU president Prof. Joseph Klafter, among others.

 

"It's very exciting," says Prof. Rein. "This award is a recognition of my academic contribution to Spain's historiography in the 20th century, as well as the fact that I've trained a new generation of researchers of Spanish history over the years."

 

Over the past decades Prof. Rein has worked diligently to bring Israel and Spain closer together. "We organized conventions and events at Tel Aviv University about Spain even before diplomatic relations were established between the two countries in 1986. Those connections weren't severed even during the difficult times of the Intifadas and the military operations, when academics from other countries preferred to avoid coming to Israel." The relationship was bilateral, according to Prof. Rein: "I myself am a member of various academic boards of Spanish journals of history and politics, as well as first and only chair of cathedra in Spain for Israel Studies, at the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos in Madrid."

 

According to Prof. Rein, "when you study the history of another country for 30 years, and your work gets recognized by that country, there's a deep sense of satisfaction. I was doubly proud to see some of my former students at the ceremony. I said then that I'm proud both of the books I myself have published on Spanish history and of the history books written by my former students."

 

In addition to serving as the Vice President of Tel Aviv University, Prof. Rein is the Elias Sourasky chair of Spanish and Latin American History, as well as the author and editor of over 30 books and many dozens of articles on topics related to Spanish and Argentinian history. For his contribution to Argentinian culture the Argentine government awarded Prof. Rein the rank of commander in the Order of the Liberator General of San Martin in May of 2009. 

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