The Jewish and Moslem communities in Canada agreed for the first time to set up a new interdenominational group to discuss local social issues of mutual concern.
Representatives of the Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) and the Council of the Moslem Communities of Canada reached the informal agreement following the Canadian conference on religion and peace held in Toronto last week. Catholics and Protestants have also expressed a desire to be partners in the group.
The group does not intend to become involved in Middle East issues, said CJC representative Edward Wolkove of Montreal. He listed the breakdown of family, poverty, the situation of the native peoples of Canada, and the potential for a nuclear holocaust as possible subjects of discussion.
Rabbi Erwin Schild of Adath Israel Synagogue in Toronto will sit on the planning committee for the group. Ikram Maski, spokesman for the Moslem Council, called the agreement “a major break through. Walkove said the group’s first goal will be to get Jew and Moslems in Canada to know each other better.
Rabbi Allan Langner of Congregation Beth-El in Montreal conveyed in his address to the conference that the increasing threat of nuclear war in the world has placed increased importance on the role of religious groups in promoting peace.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
