Dr. David W. Petegorsky, national director of the American Jewish Congress, died here last night at the age of 41. Funeral services will be held tomorrow.
Born in Ottawa, Dr. Petegorsky obtained his education at Yeshiva University in New York and the London School of Economics. After serving with several Canadian Government bureaus during the war, Dr. Petegorsky accepted an invitation in 1945 from the late Dr. Stephen S. Wise to become executive director of the American Jewish Congress. In 1948, he was elected a member of the executive of the World Jewish Congress.
Dr. Petegorsky, who travelled extensively in Europe, North Africa and Israel in connection with his activities for the American and World Jewish Congresses, was also an author and lecturer. He wrote “Left Wing Democracy in the English Civil War,” “Combatting Racism” and “The Jewish Community” and co-authored “Strategy for Democracy” with J. Donald Kingsley, former director of the United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency.
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