W Jc Initiates Information Department

To meet the growing demand for information about the activities of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) a new international Department of information has been established by the WJC, it was announced here by WJC president Philip Klutznick. The new department, he said, will be headed by Max Melamet who will relinquish the position he presently holds as executive director of the American Section and director of the North American Branch of the WJC.

In announcing the new department, klutznick said, “Apart from the basic fact that the WJC constitutes the most representative international forum in Jewish life today, we are engaged in many activities which seem to be less known to American Jews than elsewhere in the world.”

Among these activities ha noted that the WJC is presently engaged in a worldwide campaign for the abolition of any time limit on bringing to justice persons charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity. He said that for the past 25 years the WJC’s New York office has without undue publicity cooperated with the West German authorities in locating witnesses willing and able to give evidence at trials.

“Without these witnesses, “klutznick said, “many of the trials could not have taken place it is one thing to arrest a Nazi war criminal , it is another to find surviving witnesses willing to endure the ordeal of going to Germany for the trials.”

Melamet had his own law firm when he left South Africa 20 years ago to be executive vice president of the Zionist Organization of Canada. In 1963, he became editor of the “Canadian Jewish Chronicle Review.” He left Canada in 1966 to be the WJC’s representative to the United Nations. In South Africa, Melamet was prominent in the Zionist and Board of Deputies leadership.