The Cohen Family -
Six Generations of a Jewish family from Goch (1760-present)

I. Generation

The family tree of the Cohens can be traced back to 1760. The Shohet and shopkeeper/trader Levi Cohen was born 1760 in Sambeek (near Boxmeer in the Province of North-Brabant, NL). In 1795 he married Eva Lion. They were blessed with ten children (Rachel, Joseph, Isaac, Simon, David, Charles, Adriaan, Judith, Henriette, Calmon).

II. Generation

One of Levi und Eva's sons was David Levie Cohen (25.2.1807), who was born in Sambeek too. Later on, as an adult, he found a living as a shopkeeper/trader. He married Getrudis de Witt on 2.5.1845 at St. Oederrode (NL). They were blessed with seven children - all born in Sambeek (Carolina 18.9.1846, Lodewijk 24.11.1847-2.11.1925 , Levi 1849-1940, Judith 1851, Jacob 4.1.1854-1913, 1854, Isaac 1855, Abraham 1858).

III. Generation

Levi Cohen son of David Levie Cohen and Gertrudis de Witt was - as were his father and grandfather - born in the Netherlands at Sambeek. Later he moved to Kaldenkirchen (Germany) where he met his wife-to-be Henrietta Devries. There their first children Eva, Abraham and Josef were born. At the start of the final decade of the nineteenth century the family must have moved to Sonsbeck (Germany) as in 1894 their daughter Berta and in 1899 the twins Jakob and Adolf were born there. Adolf died in infancy. In Sonsbeck Levi's employment was as a hired-tanner. Later on the family moved to Kleve (Cleves, Germany), but only for a few years. During the "Roaring-Twenties" they were resident at Hagsche Strasse 28 and are recorded as trading in frozen meat. Of their large family, after 1933 only Levi and Henriette remained, being cared for by their spinster daughter Eva. In the mid 1930's they must have moved once more; as prior to the outbreak of WW2 they were resident in Düsseldorf (Germany). During 1939 Levi and Henriette managed to flee to Cujik (NL), where they found shelter with their sister-in-law Sara Cohen-Sousman Natan (wife of Jacob Cohen neé 1854). During 1940 Levi Cohen died having reached the advanced age of 91. In April 1943 the four surviving senior Jjewish citizens were transported to the Vught (NL) concentratin camp. Henriette at the age of 82 was confined with 200 other women in a barrack block. Food was intentionally of poor quality and totally insufficient. Henriette was unable to cope with this and soon after her arrival there, on 8.5.1943, she died of dysentry caused by extreme malnutrition. Her sister-in-law and the latter's children were also deported.

Eva Cohen and Berta Franck, née. Cohen were deported in 1941 from Düsseldorf to the Minsk Ghetto (Belarus). From there on all trace of them has been lost.

Abraham Cohen was a cattle-dealer in Kaldenkirchen (Germany). His wife Else Levy came from nearby Breyell and was the daughter of Bernard Levy and Rosina Krebs. Their son Erich was able to flee to the Netherlands and from there to Great Britain. Abraham and his spouse Else were deported with the December "Transport" from Düsseldorf to Riga. Abraham died there. Else died at the Stutthof concentration camp in the vicinity of Danzig (Poland).

Joseph Cohen and his son Gerald - seem to have been able to escape in time to Great Britain. He and his wife Marta Leyens would be blessed with two children, six grandchildren and no less than thirty great-grandchildren.

Jakob Cohen survived for some years as a butcher in Goch. Nonetheless he and his wife Elise were deported from there on 26.10.1941 to the Litzmannstadt ghetto, where both would die of the privatations inflicted upon them.

IV Generation

Subsequent to the "Kristallnacht" in November 1938 the children Margot and Herbert were brought to temporary safety in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. However after the German wartime occupation of the Netherlands Herbert was captured and deported from Amsterdam and his death is recorded on 5.10.1944 in Auschwitz concentration camp. Margot was able to survive the war, hidden by Dutch gentile "foster-parents". Post-war she was sent to relatives in Haiti and later went with these to the USA settling in Denver (Colarado) where she met her husband Irwin Keinon .

V-VI Generation

Margot and Irwin Keinon were blessed with two children and seven grandchilden, who reside in Israel and the USA.

Quellen:

• Leo Peters: Aus der Geschichte der Juden im Gebiet der heutigen Stadt Nettetal, in: Gerhard Rehm (Redaktion): Geschichte der Juden im Kreis Viersen (Schriftenreihe des Kreises Viersen 38), Viersen 1991, S. 175-207, hier S. 197f., 205-207.
• Wolfgang Krebs, Die Klever Juden im Dritten Reich, S. 46

Internet Quellen:

• Levi Cohen - http://www.joodsmonument.nl/person-473396-en.html
• Henriette Cohen - http://www.joodsmonument.nl/person-548898-en.html
• Memorial in Cuijk, om which Henriette Devries is named: http://www.4en5mei.nl/oorlogsmonumenten/zoeken/monument-detail/_rp_main_elementId/1_8838
• http://www.jewishgen.org/gedcom/
• http://dutchjewry.huji.ac.il/
• http://steinheim-institut.de:50580/cgi-bin/epidat
• http://stenenarchief.nl/genealogie/gezin/humo1_dupa/F73/I92/ (family tree – Levi Cohen)
• http://stenenarchief.nl/genealogie/index.php
• http://www.nmkampvught.nl/index.php?id=940 (Memorial text on the website of the camp Vught)

Surname

Name

POB and date

deceased

Domicile

Maried

Children

Comments

• 1797 Rachel
• 1799 Joseph Levi
• 1802 Isaac Levi
• 1804 Simon Levi
• 1807David Levi
• 1809 Charles Levi
• Adriaan
• Judith Levi
• Henriette Levi
• Calmon Levi

Cohen

David Levi

25.2.1807 Sambeek

30.11.1893 Sambeek

Sambeek

2.5.1845 in St. Oederode
Getrudis de Witt, 19.8.1814 Oederode-03.1876 Sambeek

• 1846 Carolina
• 1847 Lodewijk
• 1849 Levi
• 1849 Judith
• 1849 Jacob
• 1855 Isaac
• 1858 Abraham

Shopkeeper/trader

Cohen

Levi

6.6.1849 Sambeek NL-Nord-Brabant

died 18.9.1940 Cuijk (NL)

Sambeek

Henriette neé Devries 8.4.1861 Kaldenkirchen
died. 8.5.1943 KZ Vught (NL)

parents:
Rebecca Lion, Vierlingsbeek1825-1904 KaldenkirchenAbraham Defries 30.12.1800 Uden-1888

• 1888 Eva
• 1889 Abraham
• 1891 Josef
• 1894 Berta
• 1899 Jakob
• 1899 Adolf
• ? Helene

Levi Cohen was a Dutch citizen and came from Sambeek. He resided for many years in Kaldenkirchen, moving before1894 to Sonsbeck (ref details birth certificate Berta), and worked there as a hired-tanner. Later moved to Kleve. 1935 the family moved to Düsseldorf. 1939 Levi and Henriette fled to Cuijk, where they resided with Sara Cohen-Sousman, the sister-in-law of Levi Cohen (A 45) in Cujk in Sint Agatha. Henrietta Cohen was deported fom Cuijk to Vught during the war - where she died/was murdered.

Defries

Henrietta

8.4.1861 Kaldenkirchen

died 8.5.1943 in Concentration camp Vught (NL)

• Kaldenkirchen
• from ca. 1891/1894 Sonsbeck
  Kleve
• from 1935 Düsseldorf
• from 1939
• Vught Cuijk

Levi Cohen 1886

see above

• see above.
  Parents:
  Rebecca Lion, Vierlingsbeek 1825-1904 Kaldenkirchen
• Abraham Defries, 30.12.1800 Uden-1888

Cohen

Eva

20.08.1887 Kaldenkirchen

Kaldenkirchen
died. Minsk (missing)

Ghetto Minsk lost w/o trace

• Kaldenkirchen
• Sonsbeck
• Kleve
• Goch ?
• Düsseldorf
• Minsk

Eva Cohenwas a spinster and lived with her parents in Kleve. From there they moved to Düsseldorf and in 1941 were transported from there to the Minsk ghetto in Nazi occupied Belarus

Cohen

Abraham

31.10.1889 Kalkdenkirchen

? Ghetto Riga (Latvia)

• Kaldenkirchen
• Sonsbeck
• Kleve
• Düsseldorf
• Riga

• Else neé Levi
  1900 in Breyell
• Eltern:
• Bernhard Levi
• Rosina Krebs

Erich 2.4.1928

Cattle-dealer Abraham Cohen born 1889 in Kaldenkirchen was the son of Levi Jehuda Cohen and Henriette neé. Devries. His wife Else neé Levy came from Breyell and was the daughter ofBernhard Levy and Rosina neé. Krebs. Their son Erich was able to escape to England via the Netherlands and would later record the memory of his parents at Yad Vashem.

Cohen

Josef

10.10.1891 Kaldenkirchen

?

?

Marta, Anne neé Leyens. 10.3.1900

• Gerald Julius Cohen 13.4.1927
• Gisela Cohen (Ison)
  23.5.1930- 26.7.1991 Israel

Josef Cohen emigrated to the United Kingdom.

Cohen
(Franck)

Berta

5.1.1894 - Sonsbeck

? Ghetto Minsk
lost w/o trace

• Sonsbeck
• Kleve ?
• Düsseldorf

? Franck

?

Berta was born in Sonsbeck and in 1941 she was transported from Düsseldorf to Minsk. From there all trace of her is lost

Cohen

Jakob

26.6.1899 Sonsbeck

? Ghetto Riga
lost w/o trace

• Sonsbeck
• Kleve?
• Goch

Elise Kern 28.7.1904 Edenkoben

• Herbert 23.1.1931
• Margot 15.9.1932

Butcher/Sholet , from 1938 also caretaker of the Goch Shul and adjacent Jewish school .

With his wife he was deported on 26.10.1941 to the Litzmannstadt ghetto (PL).

Cohen

Adolf

26.6.1899 Sonsbeck

17.10.1899 Sonsbeck

Sonsbeck

-

-

twin brother of Jakob, died in infancy.

Cohen

Helene

?

?

fate unknown