CJC Praises Late Priest For Dialogue Work

MONTREAL— Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) paid tribute to the late Roman Catholic priest Father Jacques Langlais, a pioneer in Catholic-Jewish relations in Quebec.

“He was a trailblazer in inter-religious dialogue and a good friend, and he will be greatly missed,” said Victor Goldbloom CJC’s Quebec region president.

“[Langlais’] leadership and innovation… will continue to influence the important work of so many dedicated individuals in this area.” he said. “He was a tireless force in bridging different groups, communities and religions.”

Langlais, who died Jan. 8 at 86, founded the Institut Interculturel de Montréal, a centre devoted to ecumenism and intercultural relations.

Born in Rivière-Bleue Témiscouta, Langlais, a member of the Saint-Croix order, also founded the Institut Interculturel in 1963, and, in 1980, he established the Quebec section of the World Conference of Religions for Peace. As well, he helped to create the Institut québécois sur la culture juive, and Dialogue St. Urbain, a dialogue group for Jewish and French Quebecers.

With the late CJC archivist David Rome, Langlais co-wrote Juifs et Québécois: 200 ans d’histoire commune (1986) and Les pierres qui parlent (1992). In 1994, he was the first recipient of CJC’s Ezekiel Hart Award, given to non-Jews for furthering intercultural relations.

New CJC Director

VANCOUVER — Canadian Jewish Congress, Pacific region, has named Romy Ritter as its new regional director, replacing Mira Oreck. Ritter, who started Jan. 21, previously served as CJC’s regional community relations co-ordinator for five years, when her activities included developing anti-racism programs that were implemented throughout British Columbia. More recently, she has been a consultant to B.C. human rights and anti-racism groups. Ritter has a master’s in criminal justice from Boston University, focusing on hate crimes and hate groups in North America.