 Ann was born in Netherlands and when she was 3 years old, in 1933, her mother married a diamond worker.In 1938 Johanna's surname was changed to her stepfather's and she became "Johanna de Paauw", which was her official name until 1971, when she again changed it back to "Rafalowicz".During World War II her family faced Jewish persecution under German occupation and she went into hiding while her mother and stepfather survived the Nazi concentration camps.