Ilse Koehn
Ilse Koehn was born in Germany in 1929 and experienced profound challenges during her childhood due to her family's Jewish heritage. Her paternal grandmother's Jewish identity marked Koehn as a "Mischling," relegating her to a precarious status in Nazi Germany. To safeguard her and their secret, her family distanced themselves from their Jewish roots. During the Holocaust, Koehn sought refuge in a camp that trained children for the Hitler Youth, where she endured significant hardships until she could return to Berlin and reunite with her family. In 1977, she published "Mischling, Second Degree: My Childhood in Nazi Germany," an autobiographical work detailing her experiences from age six until the end of World War II. The book, originally aimed at young adults, gained widespread popularity and has been included in educational curricula. Following her literary success, Koehn chose to live a quiet life in Germany, away from the public eye.
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Ilse Koehn
Writer
- Born: August 6, 1929
- Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
- Died: May 8, 1991
- Place of death: Greenwich, Connecticut
Biography
Ilse Koehn was born in Germany in 1929. At the age of six, in 1935 the Koehn family saw many difficulties. Her grandmother on her father’s side was Jewish, instantly making her a second- class citizen, or a Mischling. In order to protect Koehn and their secret, the family severed all ties to the Jewish faith. Koehn found escape from the horrors of the Holocaust at a camp that educated children to function as part of the “Hitler Youth.” She was stuck for many years before being able to return to Berlin and reunited with her family. The family worked desperately to disguise her Jewish heritage and did so successfully when so many other families failed.
In 1977, Koehn published Mischling, Second Degree: My Childhood in Nazi Germany, an autobiographical account of Koehn’s life experiences from the age of six until her reunion with her family in Berlin after World War II. The story was geared towards young adults, but found an audience with many become vastly popular and taught in some schools. The book found periodic reprints, including 1987, 1990, and 1993. Koehn continued to live the rest of her life quietly and out of the spotlight in Germany.