HALIFAX – Ziv Nevo Kulman expected a warm welcome on his first visit to Halifax – and he received it.
What he didn’t expect were questions surrounding an anti-Semitic Twitter rant by a local hot dog vendor.
The visit of the recently appointed consul general of Israel to Quebec and the Atlantic provinces was marked with questions about the rant by the Muslim vendor who tweeted inflammatory statements Jan. 14 (see story on page 24). Jerry Reddick, known as the Dawgfather, talked about Jews and the Holocaust as he tried to make a point about free speech and the Charlie Hebdo Muhammad cartoons.
“All I can really say is that if this is the way he wants to promote his hot dog business, I’m glad I’m a vegetarian,” Nevo Kulman joked during an interview on Global TV’s morning show Jan 15.
Nevo Kulman was in Halifax to open The Courage To Remember exhibit, recognizing International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
Nevo Kulman also had business meetings with Nova Scotia government officials and researchers at Dalhousie University to promote co-operation between the Atlantic region and Israel. He addressed a church gathering of Bridges For Peace, a Christian group with strong Israeli ties, and he addressed a luncheon of Jewish seniors at the Masada Club.
Nevo Kulman, 45, the son of a Holocaust survivor from Poland, was born in Tel Aviv. He’s held several positions in cultural affairs in Israel and abroad and most recently worked in the ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem in charge of diplomatic professional training.
He told the Masada group about his role as consul in promoting commercial, educational, scientific and cultural interests between the region and Israel.
“Commercial ties, specifically, between Canada and Israel could be better, because Israelis think of the United States more so than Canada. I have to work on that. But Israel is an open society based on immigration and multiculturalism, just like Canada, so I hope things can work better.”
To the Masada and church groups, Nevo Kulman spoke of issues between Israel and the Palestinians.
“If Palestinians want to negotiate, but only using their moderates, establishing two states can be solved. Yet Hamas won’t accept our presence and that’s where it becomes dangerous.”
He touched on the recent violence in France. “Perhaps now the world can see what radical terrorism can do,” he said. “Western governments can see what might happen in their own cities. Israel has been quiet about this because we know the dangers of terror. We live with it every day. This is an international problem that needs international co-operation to stifle it.”
Nevo Kulman expressed concern for the 500,000 Jews of France, who comprise one per cent of the country’s population, compared to six million Muslims.
“Half the incidents of attacks in France in the last year were against Jews. The French government has to secure its citizens, but isn’t doing enough. More than 7,000 Jews made aliyah to Israel last year. We can’t tell others to come to Israel. It’s their decision on their own but we’ll open our doors if they choose.
Nevo Kulman’s meeting with government and Dalhousie officials were successful, he said. “The Nova Scotia government emphasizes industrial ties and we spoke positively about agriculture and aquaculture opportunities.
“Martha Prago [Dalhousie’s vice-president of research] was full of ideas and knows Israel well through our connections with Dal and Hebrew University, Ben-Gurion University and [BGU’s Eilat campus]. Exchanges, involving dozens of people, are already going on in ocean research, water monitoring and neuroscience. There are good things happening.”
The consul also met with the Halifax Chronicle Herald’s editorial board, finding it “friendly, in an open and frank discussion. They asked intelligent questions.”
Overall, Nevo Kulman was “overwhelmed with the hospitality of the people. Nova Scotia is a friendly province and I will be back,” he stressed, adding, with a smile, “in the spring, when the weather is friendlier.”