The World Jewish Congress today demanded that the International Red Cross be given the power to protect persecuted minorities anywhere in the world under conditions of peace or war. The demand was announced by Dr. Leon Kubowitzki, secretary-general of the Congress, in connection with the opening in Geneva of a two-day meeting of the International Red Cross to study revision of the humanitarian clauses in its charter.
Dr. Kubowitzki urged that Red Cross protection be extended to cover civilians who are segregated, confined or interned, declaring that millions of Jews lost their lives because there was no international agency to visit and inspect the Nazi concentration and death camps. “We feel that this protection should be mandatory at any time and that such persecutees be entitled to be treated as prisoners of war,” he said.
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.
