Fonds - David W. Petegorsky fonds

David was born in Ottawa, in 1915, the only son of Leon and Beckie Petegorsky. The family included three sisters. David attended Lisgar Collegiate in Ottawa followed by Yeshiva College where he was valedictorian of the 1935 class. He received his rabbinical degree at Yeshiva University in New York City in 1936. In 1940 he received his PH.D. from the prestigious London School of Economics in England. A year later, David was an instructor at the Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. In 1942, he returned to Ottawa where he held an information post with the Canadian Government, first with the National Film Board, and then the Wartime Information Board, as director of its industrial section. During this time he wrote extensively for learned quarterlies and political journals. In addition, he published two books on political subjects. He then returned to New York City and became Executive Director of the American Jewish Congress in 1945. In 1948, David became a member of the Executive Committee of the World Jewish Congress He held both positions until his death, July 15, 1956, at the age of 41. David Petegorsky’s funeral was held at the Kehillath Jeshurun Synagogue in New York. David was married in New York to Carol Coan in 1952. They had twin sons, Stephen and Daniel, who were born in 1953. The David W. Petegorsky Memorial Chair in Political Science is a tribute to his memory by the Yeshiva College Alumni Association In 1957, the Women’s Division of the American Jewish Congress initiated the David Petegorsky Scholarship Awards which sent youth between the ages of 17 and 22 to Israel for 6 weeks on workshops.