The Small Tabernacle on Merwedeplein
Before the world knew them as figures of history, they were simply families celebrating a holiday. In a quiet, touching memory, Hannah Pick-Goslar recalls how her family, and the Frank family, observed the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles. In the small walkway between their yards on Merwedeplein, they would build a sukkah, a temporary hut or tabernacle, as a symbol of the shelters the Israelites used during their forty years in the desert.
The sukkah was tiny, a reflection of the small space they had to work with, but its purpose was immense. It was a place for community, for tradition, and for sharing. Hannah remembers how Anne, with her usual curiosity, would often come to see it. Sometimes, she would even stay to eat, sharing a meal in the small, open-air structure. It’s a sweet, quiet detail that speaks volumes about the close friendship between the two girls and their families.
This memory is a beautiful contrast to the tragic events that were to come. It shows us that life for the Frank family was not just a grim countdown to the Annex. It was filled with moments of quiet tradition, community, and joy. Anne’s participation in building and decorating the sukkah is a small but powerful testament to her spirit—a girl who found joy in the simple, everyday acts of life, a girl who, in a world of growing darkness, helped build a small shelter of light.