A. M. Sonnabend, American Jewish Committee President, Dead; Was 67

A.M. Sonnabend, president of the American Jewish Committee, died last night in Palm Beach, Florida, during a vacation there. He was 67 Funeral services will be held tomorrow at Temple Israel in Boston, where he resided.

Mr. Sonnabend died in a hospital to which he had been admitted Saturday after suffering a heart attack. He had been a member of the board of the Associated Jewish Philanthropies of Boston and had been active in the National Conference of Christians and Jews He was also a member of the board of Beth Israel Hospital of Boston of the Palm Beach Community Fund and of other numerous institutions.

A leading financier, he began his career in real estate with a loan of $5, 000 from his father which he built into a multi-million dollar corporate estate. He was a graduate of Harvard University and served during World War I as a naval aviation and flying instructor.

As president of the American Jewish Committee, he issued a statement several weeks ago accusing some of America’s leading utilities of discriminatory practices against Jews and other minority groups in the recruitment and promotion of management personnel. He said that Jews made up less than one per cent of the total executive personnel in these utilities.

A statement emphasizing Mr. Sonnabend’s services in every sphere of communal endeavor–education, health, civil rights, philanthropy–was issued today of behalf of the American Jewish Committee by Morris B. Abram, chairman of the AJC executive board, and Dr. John Slawson, executive vice-president. Pointing out that Mr. Sonnabend “gave himself unstintingly to help others and to advance the cause of equality of opportunity and the dignity of man,” the statement said:

“Both as president of the American Jewish Committee and its leader for many years he founded the Institute of Human Relations of the American Jewish Committee, and made possible its extensive program in behalf of man’s understanding of his fellow man. This devoted benefactor of mankind, a man of practical affairs and high ideals knew no boundaries of religion, race or color in fulfilling his obligations to those in need.”