Germany
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Marianne Cohn
Mannheim, Germany
Archival Overview
German-born Jewish resistance fighter in the Mouvement de Jeunesse Sioniste who smuggled hundreds of Jewish children into neutral Switzerland, refusing rescue to protect them.
Biographical Record
Marianne Cohn was born in Mannheim and fled Nazi Germany with her family to France. Joining the Zionist Youth Movement (MJS) and the Oeuvre de Secours aux Enfants (OSE), she dedicated herself to saving Jewish children from deportation to extermination camps.
In May 1944, while escorting twenty-eight children toward the Swiss border, she was intercepted by the Gestapo. Offered a secret rescue operation by her resistance comrades, Cohn refused, fearing the Gestapo would execute the children in reprisal. She was tortured and murdered just weeks before liberation.
Key Life Milestones
Underground Border Escorts
Organized and led dangerous covert convoys smuggling Jewish children into neutral Switzerland.
Refusal to Abandon Children
Refused a rescue attempt from prison to avoid retaliatory execution of the children she protected.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialAnnemasse, France