In 1845, Cantoni formed the Committee of the Jewish Communities of the Kingdom of Sardinia and Piedmont, which gained him the support of Massimo d'Azeglio and Roberto d'Azeglio.[3]
In 1848 war broke out with Austria and Cantoni recruited among Turin's Jews and organized volunteers into three battalions of sharpshooters to fight for Piedmont-Sardinia.[4]
He advocated for the emancipation of Jews in the Kingdom of Sardinia which helped to bring it about in the Constitution of 1848, a development that later extended to united Italy. [2] Following the emancipation of Jews in the Kingdom of Sardinia in 1848, Cantoni worked on organizing the internal administration of Jewish religious matters. He published his Nuovo Ordinamento del Culto Israelitico ne' Registrati, in which he proposed the establishment of consistories by the government and outlined means of supporting them.[1]
Cantoni had contributed to Educatore Israelita and Archives Israélites.[2] He supported initiatives to establish asylums for children as well as contributing to the founding of schools and societies in Turin.[1]
