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Bernardina Cohen

Bernardina Cohen was a teacher and head of Preparatory School No. 51, the kindergarten that Anne Frank attended.

Person

  • Bernardina Cohen
  • Born on: Aug. 4, 1897
  • Born in: Amsterdam, Nederland
  • Died on: July 2, 1943
  • Died in: Sobibor

Bernardina Cohen was born on 4 August 1897 in Amsterdam and was a daughter of Emanuel Levie Cohen and Leentje Lam.[1]

In was headmistress of school No. 51 for Preparatory Education (Montessori kindergarten) in Dintelstraat, which moved to Niersstraat 43 in 1934.[2]

From 23 May 1934 until 1941[3] she was a Fröbel teacher and Montessori lead teacher,[4] and held the diploma 'Head of Preparatory Montessori Education'.[5]

She may be the teacher sitting at the back of the classroom in a picture of a kindergarten class with Anne, Hanneli Goslar and Irene Ceurvorst, among others.[6]

Bernardina Cohen is on a list of "Dismissed Jewish Teachers", marked "Rush 20-8" from August 1941.[5] Her card in the population register was marked "(suspended with pay)".[1] From 25 September 1941, she was acting principal of the Jewish Preparatory School at Daniel Willinkplein 11,[7] which was a Jewish Montessori school created by the German occupiers because of the segregation of education.

Because of her position as school headmistress, she received a 'Sperre': postponement of forced deportation, from the Jewish Council in Amsterdam. But on 20 June 1943, she was sent to Westerbork and from there deported to Sobibor on 29 June 1943,[7] where she was presumably immediately murdered upon arrival on 2 July 1943.[8]

Source personal data.[1] Addresses: Deltastraat 12 huis, Amsterdam (’37);[4] Uiterwaardenstraat 344-II, Amsterdam (juli ’40); Geulstraat 6-I, Amsterdam (juli ’41).[1]

Footnotes

  1. a, b, c, d Stadsarchief Amsterdam (SAA), Dienst Bevolkingsregister, Archiefkaarten (toegangsnummer 30238): Archiefkaart B. Cohen.
  2. ^ Anne Frank Stiching (AFS), Anne Frank Collectie (AFC), reg. code A_Montessori_I_001: Handgeschreven notitie en schrijven Afdeling Onderwijs van de Gemeente Amsterdam, kenmerk O 2197, 28 april 1934, ingeplakt voorin inschrijfboek Zesde Montessorischool.
  3. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code A_Montessori_I_001: Inschrijfboek Zesde Montessorischool, handgeschreven notitie en schrijven voorin.
  4. a, b SAA, Dienst Bevolkingsregister, Gezinskaarten (toegangsnummer 5422): Gezinskaart B. Cohen.
  5. a, b SAA, Afdeling Onderwijs en rechtsopvolgers (toegang 5191), inv. nr. 10830: lijst “Ontslagen Joodsche leerkrachten, d.d. 20 augustus 1942.
  6. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code A_AFrank_III_055_067: Klassefoto School voor V.O. no. 51, 1934.
  7. a, b Arolsen Archives, Index cards from the Judenrat (Jewish Council) file in Amsterdam, Document ID: 130271464: Bernardina Cohen.
  8. ^ Arolsen Archives, "Documentation about the fate of the Jewish people during the Nazi regime", list of names of Jewish victims of the Nazi regime in the Netherlands 1941 - 1945, A - Z , Document ID: 5147826: Bernardina Cohen.