A delegation of French Catholic bishops toured New York last week for what amounted to a crash course in Judaism.

Organized by the World Jewish Congress, the four-day encounter included visits to institutions ranging from Reform to Chasidic. WJC chairman Israel Singer described the tour as an outgrowth of a desire to further the interreligious dialogue that has taken place between Jewish and Catholic leaders for more than 40 years.

The WJC’s effort ran counter to those of many other Jewish organizations and leaders in the same week, which marked the continued escalation of an Orthodox controversy over the January visit of a cardinals’ delegation to the Yeshiva University beit midrash, or study hall, as well as Jewish protests over the release of the “The Passion of the Christ.”

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