Dr. Victor Goldbloom, the first Jewish Quebec cabinet minister, public servant, interfaith dialogue pioneer and eloquent Jewish community leader, died of a heart attack on Feb. 15 at age 92.
A physician by profession, Goldbloom was active and in good health until his sudden passing, his family said. Indeed, he intervened vigorously at the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada conference a week before his death.
“The Jewish community of Canada has lost a beacon and one of the most outstanding leaders of our time. It was a privilege and honour to know Victor and to work with him in my role as chair of CIJA. His contribution to the Jewish community both in Quebec and Canada will continue to be remembered well beyond his passing,” said David Cape, national chair of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs.
Premier Philippe Couillard called Goldbloom “a great politician.”
“We have lost a man admired by one and all, and a politician committed to bringing communities closer together,” he stated.
“Dr. Goldbloom’s inspiring career greatly influenced Quebec, in particular when he became the first environment minister. I would also like to stress the influence that he exercised, and will continue to exercise, on an entire generation of politicians and committed leaders.”
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Born in Montreal on July 31, 1923, Goldbloom was the son of Dr. Alton Goldbloom and Annie Ballon and grew up in the downtown Golden Square Mile. He studied medicine at McGill University and followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming a pediatrician.
In addition to his choice of career, Goldbloom said he learned from his father that the best way to combat anti-Semitism was to be fully engaged in society.
After practising medicine for some years, he entered provincial politics in 1966 as the MNA for the newly created riding of D’Arcy McGee in West End Montreal. He was re-elected three times.
When Robert Bourassa’s Liberals took power in 1970, Goldbloom was named Quebec’s first minister of the environment and was responsible for the province’s first environmental protection act.
He also served as minister of municipal affairs and oversaw the completion of the facilities for the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.
He resigned from the National Assembly in 1979 to become president of the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews. Goldbloom was one of the first Jewish leaders to reach out to the Catholic Church in Quebec in the 1950s, and his belief in the value of frank dialogue between people of different faiths, languages and cultures never wavered over his long life.
The memoir he published last year was aptly titled Building Bridges/Les Ponts du Dialogue. His fluency in English and French enabled him to write them both, without a translator.
His interest in inter-religious understanding extended to the national and international levels.
In honour of his life’s work, Pope Benedict XVI made him a Knight of the Order of St. Sylvester in 2012, a rare honour for a Jew, or any non-Catholic.
The ceremony’s venue was also unusual – a Jewish congregation, Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom – and the guest of honour was Goldbloom’s longtime friend and colleague, Jean-Claude Cardinal Turcotte. At Goldbloom’s initiative, Cardinal Turcotte had years earlier spoken from the temple’s pulpit.
From 1987 to ’90, Goldbloom was president of Quebec’s Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement.
He also served as Canada’s commissioner of official languages from 1991 to ’99.
Within the Jewish community, he was notably chair of Canadian Jewish Congress, Quebec region, and for many years headed the committee of Jewish public health and social services institutions.
“In addition to his innumerable communal accomplishments, Dr. Goldbloom contributed in countless small ways to improving the lives of the individuals and families he touched, from the house calls he made to patients’ families, like mine, in his early days as a pediatrician, to the thoughtful and gentle support that he provided to people of all ranks and backgrounds who sought his wise counsel. He will be deeply missed by all those who had the privilege of knowing him,” said Federation CJA CEO Deborah Corber.
In “retirement” (a word he loathed), Goldbloom, well into his 80s, became a one-man road show, visiting towns all over the province trying to demystify what it means to be Jewish. During the corrosive debate over the secular values charter a few years ago, he made videos that were posted on social media, appealing to Quebecers’ better natures and tolerance of minorities.
McGill principal and vice-chancellor Suzanne Fortier said Goldbloom “made many important contributions to our society, as a community leader, as a political figure and a public servant. He worked tirelessly to build bridges between religious groups and between language groups, helping foster greater understanding and tolerance.”
Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre said Goldbloom was, “above all, a unifying force, an extremely talented politician and a great expert on compromise.” He called him a “true-blooded Montrealer for whom our city’s diversity was a great asset… He will remain an exemplary model for anyone who wants to go into politics.”
David Birnbaum, the current MNA for D’Arcy McGee, said Goldbloom “greatly inspired me in the way I perceive politics. He was a mentor to me and will always be an example to follow.”
In 1992, McGill bestowed an honorary degree on Goldbloom in recognition of his many years of service.
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Among his many other citations, Goldbloom was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada and an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec.
At the launch of his memoir at Montreal city hall, Goldbloom reflected on his extraordinary life.
“The things I have been part of, never in their wildest dreams would my [four Russian immigrant] grandparents have thought imaginable for their grandson, that I would have the privilege to do what I have been able to do.”
Goldbloom is survived by his wife of 67 years, retired McGill University social work professor Sheila, and their children, Susan (Peter Restler), Michael (Fiona Macleod) and Jonathan (Alice Switocz), four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and his brother, Dr. Richard Goldbloom.