Benjamin Cohen, one of the principal architects of President Roosevelt’s New Deal, who died Monday in Washington at the age of 88, was lauded today by the American Jewish Committee as “a dedicated public servant and statesman who served his nation and the Jewish people during a career that spanned seven decades.”
The Muncie-born member of Roosevelt’s “brain trust” served as counsel to the American Zionist Peace Conference from 1919 to 1921, representing the Zionist movement as secretary of the Zionist delegation at the Treaty of Versailles negotiations. He died of pneumonia in Georgetown University Hospital. Funeral services were private.
The AJCommittee honored Cohen on his 75th birthday and described him, in its statement today, as one of the principals in “the laying of the foundation” of Israel, a cause that remained “close to his heart all his life.” A spokesman said that, although Cohen never held an official position in the AJCommittee, he had provided the agency with various forms of guidance and counseling.
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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.
