Josef Kohn was born on February 20, 1910, near Târgu Mureș, Romania, to Itzak and Magdaleni (Goldstein) Kohn. He was one of ten children: Esti, Saari, Adolf, Izidor, Samuel, Gyula, Jeno, Ida, Miklos, and Josef. Adolf 's wife and one of his daughters, Miklos's wife and children and Gyula and his entire family, were killed at Auschwitz. Since Târgu Mureș was part of Hungary when Josef was born, he had to continually prove his Romanian nationality after the area became Romanian after World War I. After graduating with his baccalaureat and earning a degree from a business school, Josef went to school in Vienna, and then earned his doctorate in commercial science from the University of Liège in Belgium. Returning to Romania in 1934, he opened an export business, collaborating with his brother Adolf to export the wood produced at his family's sawmill. During the war, Josef continued to do business and was temporarily called up for forced labor in January 1942. On August 5, 1942, Josef married Olivia Gabe. In 1947, Olivia gave birth to their daughter, Ada. In 1949, Josef, Olivia, Ada, and Olivia's parents fled the Communist regime in Romania and immigrated to France.
Olivia Gabe Kohn was born in Braila, Romania, on January 15, 1914, to Dr. Sancu and Rachel (Pecket/Pechet) Gabe. Dr. Sancu Gabe was born in Ismail, Romania, in 1881. He received a medical degree in 1907 and married Rachel Pechet in 1911. Rachel Pechet was born in 1888. Olivia was an only child. She did well in school, studying at the University of Bucharest, and graduated with a law degree in the early 1930s. Due to restrictions on Jewish employment, she was unable to practice law. In August 1942, Olivia married Josef Kohn. After the war, Josef and Olivia bought an apartment in Bucharest. The same year, 1947, Olivia gave birth to their only child, Ada. When the Communist regime took power, the family's apartment and business were nationalized. They fled, immigrating to France with Olivia's parents. She passed away on January 7, 2000.
