Undercover Jewish Spy Who Fought Nazis Coming To Cleveland

CLEVELAND — Then a Jewish teenager, Marthe Cohn spent World War II spying on the Nazis for the French military. She risked her life to relay Nazi troop movements and locations to the Allies.

For more than 50 years, Cohn's story was untold, an unearthed folktale that would only be confirmed and publicized in the 21st century. On September 18, Cohn will regale audiences with her little-told but remarkable story during a live appearance at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU).

“This visit by Marthe Cohn is an opportunity to inspire young students to have the courage to do what is right and what is necessary even in the most difficult of circumstances,” said Rabbi Mendy Alevsky, director and founder of Chabad at CWRU.

The event is free, though tickets need to be reserved through Case's Maltz Performing Arts Center website. Cohn's talk will last approximately 90 minutes and will start at 6:30 p.m.

A Preview of a Hero's Story

When Adolf Hitler and the Nazis swept into power in the 1930s, Cohn and her family were living just across the border in France. As conditions in Germany deteriorated, Cohn's family began sheltering Jewish refugees.

Cohn's sister was then arrested by the Nazis and her Orthodox Jewish family were forced out of their home.

This sparked Cohn's heroism. With blonde hair and the ability to speak fluent German, she impersonated a nurse and slipped into enemy territory. She claimed to be seeking a fictional fiancé. With an urgent plea, she would seek help from Nazi troops stationed in the countryside and would discretely discern where the soldiers were going next. She then relayed that information to Allied commanders.

When the war ended, Cohn was quietly given the Croix de Guerre in a private ceremony. She did not speak about her experiences as a spy — even her children were ignorant of her wartime experiences.

It was only when Cohn was in her 80s when France gave her the nation's highest military honor, the Médaille Militaire. She then published her memoir, "Behind Enemy Lines: The True Story of a French Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany."

“Most of our students have never met a Holocaust survivor or a hero quite like Marthe Cohn. We are so privileged to provide this opportunity to learn from a voice of experience and moral strength. Her story teaches the power of one person standing up and making a difference,” Rabbi Alevsky said.