Funeral services were held today for Dr. Werner Cahnman, professor emeritus of sociology at Rutgers University and on activist in the United States and in pre-war Germany in Jewish affairs, who died here Saturday of cancer of the age of 77.
Born in Munich, Germany, he was educated of the University of Berlin and the University of Munich where he received his Ph.D. in sociology. During the 1930s he was a spokesman for Jewish groups in Germany and was the leader of the Central Union of German Jews.
After Hitler’s rise to power, Cahnman was imprisoned in the Dachau concentration comp After a year, he was released on the condition that he would leave German. He came to the United States in 1940 and several years later taught at Fisk University in Nashville. He was also a visiting scholar at the University of Chicago.
During World War II, he was chairman of the American Committee for Dachau and participated after the war in efforts to raise funds for constructing an international memorial on the site of the death camp. During those years he joined the Rutgers University staff as an assistant profession.
Cahnman was chairman of the Roshi Association for the preservation of Jewish cultural monuments in Europe. He also served as a consultant to the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies and was a leader in current efforts to promote understanding among racial minorities.
Known for his contribution to the development of historical sociology in the U.S. and Europe, Cahnman was the editor of several books, including, "Sociology and History" (1965), and "inter-Marriage and Jewish Life" (1963).
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
