Anne Frank

Anne Frank was a young Jewish girl who was one of the people who went into hiding when Germans targeted the Jews. She was the daughter of Otto Frank and Edith Frank. She had a sibling who was three years elder to her, and her name was Margot. Anne Frank was a Jewish kid who lived in Germany and had to hide from the Germans in 1942. Anne Frank became popular because of the diary that she wrote describing her experience in hiding. Anne Frank's diary is translated into various languages and is a mirror of the sufferings of the Jews during the Holocaust.

Born: July 12, 1929 (Frankfurt, Germany)

Early Years

Frankfurt, Germany, is the place where Anne Frank was born on July 12, 1929. When the unemployment rates in Germany were higher and the country was going through turmoil, Hitler gained support from many people that believed in the antisemitic sentiments. Adolf Hitler himself hated Jews and believed that they were the reason for the problems in the country. Severe problems in the country, hatred for the Jews, and financial problems forced Otto Frank, father of Anne Frank, to move to Amsterdam. At Amsterdam, he founded a company that traded Pectin, which was a gelling agent useful for the production of jams.

Invasion of Netherlands by Nazi Germany

Anne soon became accustomed to her new Dutch school and the people in the Netherlands. She made friends, learned the language, and started feeling at home. Her father, Otto, sold herbs and spices along with the Pectin to get the business off the ground. However, it was a difficult task to maintain stability.

Afterward, the Second World War began after Poland was invaded by Nazi Germany. This was not until September 1, 1939. Eventually, the Nazis also invaded the Netherlands on May 10, 1940. It was followed by the surrender of the Dutch army, which led to miserable lives for Jews. Jewish students have admitted to different schools meant for the Jews, Jews were barred from parks, cinemas, and new laws and reinforcements took place. As a result, more and more places became off-limits to the Jews. Jews couldn't visit Non-Jewish shops, and they were prohibited from running their businesses. Otto Frank also lost his business of spices and Pectin.

Anne's Hiding at the Secret Annex

Soon after the invasion of the Netherlands, Nazis moved forward, one step at a time. They forced Jews to wear Star of David on clothes. Rumors spread that the Jews might have to leave the Netherlands. Anne's parents became suspicious after Margot received a call to report for a labor camp. They believed that it was a fake call that might bring them trouble. Soon, Anne's father decided to escape the persecution by hiding.

Otto started furnishing the Annex of the company premises with the help of his former colleagues. The company was located at Prinsengracht 263, which became the hiding place of Anne's family. Another family later joined them. Anne was often afraid of not being able to go out and keep quiet while in hiding.

The Diary of a Young Girl

"The Diary of a Young Girl: Anne Frank" is now a popular book that is a perfect amalgamation of the experiences of the Jews and the feelings and thoughts of Anne. The diary that Anne wrote was a birthday gift to her, which she got just before going into hiding. She started keeping a note of all day-to-day activities in the secret Annex. She also described her feelings wrote passages from the books that she read, and she called this the 'Book of Beautiful Sentences.' She started enjoying writing to pass the time and share what she felt.

Anne wrote Het Achterhuis (The Secret Annex), which was a story that had a compilation of her diaries. She was inspired to write this story after she came to know that the Ministry of Education is holding all war diaries and documents.

Secret Annex Discovered

Anne had just begun to rewrite the diary when she and the other people in hiding were discovered. They were arrested by the police on August 4, 1944, and all the documents in the Annex were preserved. The police also arrested their helpers. However, the reason for the police raid is still unknown. The Secret Annex was emptied after the people in hiding were arrested as per the orders of the Nazis.

Deporting of Anne to Auschwitz

Along with others hiding at the Secret Annex, Anne was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau to a concentration and extermination camp. These people were moved using cattle wagons which had only a little food, water, and only one toilet barrel. They all were closely packed and had to travel by train for almost three long days. They traveled through the Sicherheitsdienst offices, Amsterdam prison, and a transit camp in Westerbork.

A Nazi doctor checked all the people to find people who could do heavy forced labor. After reaching Auschwitz, 350 people were immediately taken to the gas chamber and terminated. Anne, Margot, and their mother were taken to the women's labor camp. Her father was taken to the men's labor camp.