Did This Concentration Camp Pendant Belong to Anne Frank’s Cousin?

By Dave Goldiner January 15, 2017

A pendant found at the Sobibor Nazi death camp in Poland may have belonged to a doomed relative of famed diarist Anne Frank.

The tiny unique pendant was dropped by its owner or someone in possession of the jewelry on the “Pathway to Heaven,” the path along which Jewish victims were forced to walk to the gas chambers, JTA reported.

It bears the words “Mazal Tov” written in Hebrew on one side and on the other side the Hebrew letter “ה” for God’s name as well three Stars of David — and the owner’s birthday.

Researchers believe it belonged to Karoline Cohn, who came from Frankfurt like Frank, who also owned a similar pendant, suggesting a possible family tie.

The pendant likely fell through the floorboards of the horrifying walkway and remained buried until it was discovered last fall by archeologists.

“The moving story of Karoline Cohn is symbolic of the shared fate of the Jews murdered in the camp. It is important to tell the story, so that we never forget,” said Yoram Haimi, an archaeologist from the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Dave Goldiner is the Forward’s director of digital media. Dave is a veteran journalist who has spent two decades working at newspapers in the United States and Africa. A native New Yorker, Goldiner wrote for the New York Daily News, where he covered some of the biggest stories of our time, including the attacks of September 11, along with thousands of stories of hope and heartbreak. He also studied and worked in Southern Africa and has written for publications in South Africa and Zimbabwe. He holds masters degrees in journalism and public administration from Columbia University. Dave can be reached at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter @davegoldiner

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO