MONTREAL (JTA) — Dr. Victor Goldbloom, the first Jew to serve as a member of the Quebec province’s Cabinet and hailed as a trailblazer in Jewish-Christian relations, has died.
Goldbloom, who once headed the now-defunct Quebec branch of the Canadian Jewish Congress, died Monday. He was 92.
A pediatrician by profession, Goldbloom became known for his ecumenical work in forging interfaith relations from 1980 to 1987, serving as CEO of the Canadian Council of Christians and Jews.
In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI named Goldbloom a Knight of the Order of St. Sylvester for his interfaith work.
Goldbloom was a provincial politician from 1966 to 1979 and was named environment minister in 1970 by then-Quebec Liberal premier Robert Bourassa. He also served as municipal affairs minister and as special minister overseeing the progress of the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.
On the national level, he was named commissioner of official languages in 1991 and Companion of the Order of Canada in 2000.
