Pieter kohnstam biography

Pieter Kohnstam was born in Amsterdam in 1936.
My work as an artist was considered “degenerate” by the powerful, fanatic followers of Hitler in Nuremberg; and, not only our possessions, but quite possibly.
Pieter Kohnstam expressed that he never had the opportunity to dream as a young child.

•

Pieter (Peter) Kohnstam

Pieter (Peter) Kohnstam was born in Amsterdam in 1936. He and his family, father-, Mother- Ruth and grandmother-Clara, are US Holocaust survivors. The Kohnstam's apartment in Amsterdam was downstairs from the family of Anne Frank. As the Nazis' control escalated, and the families safety deteriorated, the families grew closer. Anne became Pieter's babysitter, coming down daily to play with Pieter (6 at the time) and they attended the local schools in the neighbourhood together. But as the Nazi persecution of Jews in The Netherlands became intolerable, in early 1942, the Franks were forced to say goodbye to their friends and went into hiding. As the Kohnstams watched as the Franks left for their hiding place, Pieter and his family cried and prayed for their safety. It was only two days after the Franks had moved out, the Nazis conducted a Razzia(an unexpected attack/raid) in their neighborhood. Pieta recalls hearing "their sirens and car horns blaring from far away." It seems the

•

Holocaust Survivor to Share His Story of Escape

(New Orleans – January 12, 2021) In commemoration of International Holocaust Day of Remembrance, Loyola University New Orleans College of Arts and Sciences and the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans: Goldring Family Foundation Center for Jewish-Multicultural Affairs invite the community to join us this month for a Spanish-language presentation by Holocaust survivor and Anne Frank Center Board member Pieter Kohnstam.

The virtual event takes place at 5:30 p.m. on January 27, 2021. Mr. Kohnstam will share his compelling story of fleeing Amsterdam for Buenos Aires; the talk, over Zoom, will be in Spanish, with simultaneous translation into English. To register for the event, visit https://www.loyno.edu/pieter-kohnstam-talk.

Pieter Kohnstam was born in Amsterdam and lived with his family in the same apartment building as Anne Frank. In fact, the two families were friendly, and Anne would often entertain the small boy while their parents played bridge. While the Franks famously went into hiding after the first round-up of J

•

About Pieter

Pieter Kohnstam was born in Amsterdam in 1936. His parents, Hans and Ruth Kohnstam, were forced to flee from the Nuremberg/Fuerth area in Germany to Amsterdam, The Netherlands during the early days of the Nazi regime. Coming from a well-known upper middle class family, they left behind a lucrative toy merchandising company with sales offices and warehouses in cities throughout Germany and Europe.

It was by chance that the Kohnstam's apartment in Amsterdam was downstairs from the family of Anne Frank. Ruth became a close friend of Edith Frank, and Anne, the youngest daughter, became Pieter’s babysitter. Both children attended the local schools in the neighborhood.

When Nazi persecution of Jews in The Netherlands became intolerable, the Franks went into hiding, but Pieter’s parents decided to flee Amsterdam. After a year-long trek through Belgium, France and Spain, they reached safety and freedom in Argentina.

Pieter’s father Hans, an artist, eventually returned to Germany with his second wife. Over 1,200 of his paintings and drawings have been donated to t