Marthe Cohn
WILMETTE – Marthe Cohn, born in 1920 to a French Jewish family, lived just across the German border when Adolf Hitler rose to power. As a member of the intelligence service of the French First Army, she retrieved inside information about Nazi troop movements by slipping behind enemy lines as a spy. Next week, Cohn will share her story with the local community.
The event, “Behind Enemy Lines – An Unforgettable Conversation with Marthe Cohn,” is at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 18, at the Chabad Center for Jewish Life & Learning, 2904 Old Glenview Road, Wilmette. Cohn will discuss the escape of her family from occupied France, her life in the army, how she was trained as a spy and share her message of hope, Jewish survival and tolerance.
“As the generation who bore witness to the atrocities of the Holocaust fades, it is a moral imperative that we hear their stories,” said Rabbi Dovid Flinkenstein with the Chabad Center in Wilmette, who organized the event. “We need to make every effort to listen to those strong lessons and never forget those troubling times. Only then can we make sure this world is a better place.”
Cohn received numerous awards from the French and German governments including the Medal of Merit for helping Germany “become a democracy again and for shortening the war”.
“I had an extremely interesting life — sometimes very harsh, sometimes very pleasant — but always lively,” she recently said. Her message is one of hope but she implores her listeners to stay engaged and not accept anything that does not agree with their conscience. “Tolerance and acceptance is the only way.”
Advanced tickets are available online for $10 or for $18 at the door. Marthe’s book Behind Enemy Lines will be available for purchase at the event and a Q&A and book signing will follow her talk. For more information or to RSVP, visit ChabadWilmette.com/lecture or call 847.251.7707.
About Marthe Cohn
Marthe Cohn was born in France, in 1920. As the Nazi occupation escalated, her sister was sent to Auschwitz while her family fled to the south of France. At the age of 24, she joined the Intelligence Service of the French Army. Utilizing her perfect German accent and Aryan looks, Martha posed as a German nurse desperately trying to attain word of a fictional fiancé. She traveled the countryside and approached troops sympathetic to her plight thereby obtaining vital information about troop movements for the Allied commanders. For her service, at the age of 80, she was awarded the Croix de Guerre, France’s highest military honor. Marthe is 96 years old and lives with her husband in California. She travels internationally sharing her remarkable story and has no plans of slowing down.
Submitted by Chabad Center for Jewish Life & Learning