Funeral services were held here today for Rabbi Samuel Cohen, director of the United Synagogue of America for 27 years, who died at his home yesterday after a lengthy illness. He was 59. Dr. Cohen was born in Slutsk, Russia, in 1886, and came here as a child.
One of the first advocates of the idea that the synagogue could be a community center for all age groups and not just a house of worship, Rabbi Cohen personally helped to establish 150 such congregations. Under his leadership the United Synagogue grew from an organization of 40 congregations, when he became director, to one of 1,200 at the time he resigned last December 31.
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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.