Gene Therapy: Simmons Confronts Past

 By MICHAEL STARR / www.nypost.com / Photo: A&E

Get ready for a very special episode of "Gene Simmons Family Jewels."The Dec. 5 return of the A&E reality show features series star and KISS rocker Gene Simmons, whose mother is a Holocaust survivor, on a teary visit to the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.

Simmons, 61, was born Chaim Witz in Israel and moved here when he was 8 years old.

In the episode, Simmons is touring with KISS in Amsterdam when he agrees to be interviewed by a young Dutch student who wants to know more about Simmons' family history -- and takes Simmons to visit the Anne Frank House.

Simmons weeps openly at the first sight of photos of Anne Frank, a German-born Jew who was hidden in an Amsterdam attic with her family before they were discovered by the Nazis in 1945. Frank, 15, was shipped off to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where she died.
Simmons' European-born mom, Florence Klein, was exactly the same age as Anne Frank when she was sent to a concentration camp, and Simmons' visit to the Anne Frank House forces him to confront a part of his past he rarely discusses.

The episode also features Simmons sitting for an interview with William Shatner on Shatner's BIO show, "Shatner's Raw Nerve" (BIO is a sister network of A&E).