(Montreal) The Jewish organization B’nai Brith denounces the new linguistic law adopted by the National Assembly, affirming that it will make it more difficult to recruit rabbis and could push Jews to leave Quebec.
Posted at 1:55 p.m.
B’nai Brith CEO Michael Mostyn expresses concern that many Jewish immigrants, including seniors from Ukraine and the former Soviet Union, will no longer be able to access certain public services in English.
Marvin Rotrand, of the B’nai Brith human rights league, says the new law will also make it more difficult to recruit rabbis from outside Quebec, as the reform tightens an exemption that allows such leaders religious to send their children to English-speaking Jewish schools.
The former Montreal city councilor believes that the combination of this “reform of Bill 101” and the State Secularism Actwhich prohibits certain civil servants from wearing religious symbols at work, could push many young members of the Jewish community to leave Quebec.
The “Act respecting the official and common language of Quebec, French” was adopted on May 25 in the National Assembly by 78 votes to 29. It extends the francization process to small and medium-sized businesses with between 25 and 49 employees, restricts admission to English CEGEPs and limits access for some to communications and government services in languages other than French.
Although there are exceptions for the “historic English-speaking community” in terms of health, public safety and education, Rotrand argues that many members of the Jewish community will not qualify and could lose the access to services in English.