Liberation and Loss On April 15, 1945, the British army liberated the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. It was a moment of liberation, but not one of salvation for many. The conditions…
The Last Seder In April 1942, just months before both families went into hiding, the Frank and van Pels families gathered to celebrate Passover. The Seder meal, held in the…
The Pen Pal In the fall of 1939, a ten-year-old student in Iowa named Juanita Wagner picked a name from a list of pen pals. She wanted to write to…
A Glimpse into the Anxieties of Margot Frank In a letter to her American pen pal, Betty Ann Wagner, on April 27, 1940, Margot Frank provided a rare glimpse into…
The Secret Annex Becomes a Museum On May 3, 1960, the Anne Frank House officially opened its doors to the public. The former hiding place, which had been left in…
On the night of May 9, 1940, the Frank family's worst fears came true. They were awakened by explosions and the sound of aircraft as the German army invaded the…
Yesterday, while in Athens, I found myself in a situation every parent dreads. My daughter Avery suddenly announced, with urgency in her voice, that she had to use the bathroom…
It had been a difficult day in Christy Richardson’s home. Her son, affectionately nicknamed “Bubba,” was having a tough time — the kind of emotional storm that can feel impossible…
Peter’s Final Journey On January 19, 1945, Peter van Pels was among the last 2500 prisoners to leave Auschwitz-Birkenau. The Nazis, in a desperate attempt to erase their crimes as…
A Life of Beginnings and Endings Otto Heinrich Frank was born on May 12, 1889, the second child of a prosperous family in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. His family owned…