Abe Sudran Dead at 69

A memorial service was held today in Maplewood for Abe L. Sudran of West Orange, a prominent figure in Jewish communal work for over 40 years, who died Sunday at the age of 69. Until 1975 he served as executive vice-president of the Jewish community Federation of Metropolitan New Jersey, and as secretary of The Jewish News. Since his retirement from the federation leadership post, Sudran had served as consultant on community organization for the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds (CJF).

Sudran received his education at the Universities of Chicago and Bordeaux, France. Starting out in Chicago as a vocational counselor with disturbed youth and later refugees from Nazi Germany, he became director of Chicago’s Bureau on Jewish Employment Problems, an agency whose function was to overcome employment discrimination. After five years as executive director of the Jewish Vocational Service of Cleveland, he became associate director of the Jewish Welfare Federation of Detroit, and in 1947 became executive director of the Jewish Federation and Council of Greater Kansas City, a post he held for 16 years before coming to Metropolitan New Jersey.

During the past two years, Sudran served as professional consultant to help organize the newly formed United Jewish Community of Bergen County and as consultant for special projects to the United Jewish Appeal. In recent months, he served as director of the Department of Campaign Services of the CJF.