“I spend most of my time here in Westmount Square, because this is where the Consulate General is located. I actually feel quite at home because it reminds me of the architecture in Tel Aviv, my home town. Tel Aviv is a UNESCO world heritage site for its modernistic architecture, mainly the “Bauhaus” period of the 20s and 30s. It was the same period that Mies van der Rohe, the architect of Westmount Square, became famous around the world. The architecture has the same elements: very clean lines, I would say pure, Zen, modern (at the time), and timeless. The weather, on the other hand, is something that does not remind me of home! Seeing Montreal, and particularly Westmount Square, covered in snow is very exciting.”

“How are you faring with your first winter in Montreal?”

“I ain’t seen nothing yet! Well you know, in Israel, we have two flakes of snow and the whole country goes berserk… We’re prepared for the heat, just not for the snow. I think Canada and Israel are actually very well prepared for extreme weather conditions. You know what to do for an excess of water, and we are prepared for lack of water. You are prepared to deal with minus forty degrees, and we are prepared to deal with plus forty degrees. It’s a miracle that you see the desert flourishing in Israel and I also think it’s a miracle that the city doesn’t stop here because of the snow and harsh weather. That’s something quite striking. I think I’m well prepared for the winter and the warmth of the people here is something that’s definitely keeping my spirits high.”

Category: People