Holiday Fun and Oliebolletjes
Hannah Pick-Goslar, one of Anne Frank’s closest friends, provided a warm and intimate memory of their life before the war, centered around the celebration of holidays. Their families were close, with Anne’s parents always visiting the Goslar house on Jewish holidays, and the Goslars, in turn, going to the Franks’ home for occasions like New Year’s Eve.
These visits were the setting for classic childhood fun. On New Year’s Eve, the two best friends were allowed to “sleep together in her room,” a special treat in itself. The excitement would build until midnight, when the adults would wake them up.
Their midnight treat was the iconic Dutch festive pastry: an “oliebolletje” (a deep-fried dough ball, often with a dusting of powdered sugar, similar to a jelly doughnut). They also got “something to drink,” and because the day after New Year’s was a holiday, they were allowed to “sleep late.”
Hannah described the tradition simply as a “special party” and “always a lot of fun, staying with each other.” This memory is a precious window into the normal, carefree life of two young girls whose deepest concerns were staying up late and enjoying a delicious, shared tradition. It is a powerful reminder of the simple joys and freedoms that were tragically taken from them.