“Suddenly I heard someone call my name. I looked round.”
The Bold Introduction In the fall of 1941, Jacqueline van Maarsen was walking home from the Jewish Lyceum in Amsterdam when she was approached by a stranger. This girl, "short,…
In the Westerbork transit camp Margot meets an acquaintance from Amsterdam.
A Terrible Discovery The Westerbork transit camp was a place of temporary imprisonment, but its conditions were far from uniform. Some prisoners lived in the "free" camp, where they were…
”In Westerbork, I met the Frank family for the first time.
A Heartbreaking Friendship In the dehumanizing environment of the Westerbork transit camp, small acts of human connection were a lifeline. Lenie de Jong-van Naarden recalls the moment she and her…
”I swallow valerian pills every day against worry and depression, but it doesn’t prevent me from being even more miserable the next day.”
The Fear of a Long Face On September 16, 1943, Anne Frank wrote a diary entry that reveals the deep psychological toll of living in hiding. She confessed to a…
Anne and Margot often visited their grandmother Rosa Holländer-Stern and their uncles Walter and Julius.
The Journey to Aachen For Anne and Margot Frank, a trip to Aachen, Germany, was a journey home. It was where their grandmother, Rosa Holländer-Stern, and their uncles, Walter and…
At dawn on September 3, 1944, the guards roused the 1019 people from their barracks and marched them to the train tracks.
The Final Journey At dawn on September 3, 1944, a silent and somber procession began at the Westerbork transit camp in Holland. The guards roused 1,019 prisoners from their barracks,…
In September 1935, Anne spent a few sunny days with her grandmother in Sils Maria in the Oberengadin in Switzerland.
The Swiss Sanctuary Before the world shrank to a few hidden rooms, Anne Frank's world was one of sun-drenched holidays and carefree days. In September 1935, a six-year-old Anne spent…
Alice Frank in a letter to Otto Frank, 1945.
A Shared Grief In 1945, in the wake of the Holocaust, Alice Frank wrote a letter to her son, Otto, that captures the profound sorrow of their family's loss. Her…
“Anne was not alone. Margot went with her into this frightful infirmary.”
The Hell of the Scabies Block In the brutal reality of Auschwitz-Birkenau, a new nightmare began for Anne Frank. After a few weeks in the camp, her body, already weakened…
Anne in her diary, 30 September 1942
A Birthday in Hiding On September 30, 1942, the Secret Annex was filled with a rare sense of celebration. It was Auguste van Pels-Röttgen’s birthday, and despite their confinement, the…