The Hapless Life of Anne Frank
Learn About This Young Girl's Story
By: Maya Shapiro
Who Was Anne Frank?
Anne's Personal Life
On June 12, 1929, a young German-Jewish girl was born to Edith and Otto Frank. Her name was Anne. Anne, her parents, and her older sister, Margot, had always felt at home in their beautiful country called Germany. Soon enough though, Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany. The Franks knew that this was awful news. They felt forced to leave their precious country behind, but they knew that if they wanted to keep themselves safe, they had to leave. Later that year, the Franks moved from Frankfurt, Germany to Amsterdam, Netherlands.
In 1934, Anne attended Amsterdam's Sixth Montessori School. Anne sure was chatty! She was always getting into trouble for it! But she did always have very consistent grades. She was very bright…. and curious! Anne also had many friends! The Franks were finally starting to feel at home in this country, but on July 5, 1942, Margot received a call-up from the Nazis instructing her to go to a work camp in Germany. Edith and Otto were not going to let that happen. The whole Frank family went into hiding the very next day.
Young Anne Frank
Anne Frank as a Child
Anne Frank is Growing Up
Edith Frank
Otto Frank
Margot Frank
The Franks Enter the "Secret Annex"
On July 6, 1942, the Frank family went into hiding. What the Franks referred to as the “Secret Annex” was located in Otto’s office. It was on the highest floor behind a bookcase. Next when you opened it up, it led to a staircase. Then you walked up the staircase and there you were, in the annex. The annex had limited space, but it did meet all of their needs. Bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen.
Because of the cramped space, the Franks could pack only a limited amount of items to take to the annex. One of the items that Anne brought was a checkered diary she named Kitty. Kitty was given to Anne by Edith and Otto on her 13th birthday. This diary, which was later turned into The Diary of a Young Girl, was written in everyday by Anne. Kitty was full of Anne’s thoughts, her secrets, her wishes. It always calmed Anne on the days she felt so cooped up in the annex.
Anne and her family were not the only ones who felt cooped up, though. The Franks were joined by another family. Herman van Pels, his wife Auguste, and their son, Peter, felt scared and desperate in the same downhearted environment.
When it came to actually surviving in that meager set up, Otto’s employees, Jan and Miep Gies, Kleiman, Kugler, and Bep Voskuijl brought food and information to keep them aware of what was going on outside of the downhearted home. Months had passed and the two families didn't expect any change, but they had no idea of what was ahead of them.
Found!
About two years had passed since the Franks went into hiding. On August 8, 1944, a secret German police officer and four Dutch Nazi soldiers were told about the annex. Who led them there, you might ask? This individual is still anonymous to this day. When the men arrived at the annex they everyone hiding there. The two families’ helpers were fortunate not to get caught. The men led the families away to a passenger train that took them to Camp Westerbork, a concentration camp in the Northeastern Netherlands. They arrived later that day. On September 3, 1944, both families were sent to Auschwitz. From there, the men and women were separated, leaving only for the Franks to realize they would never be a complete family again.
Otto was separated from Edith, Margot, and Anne, and Anne and Margot were together, but separated from their own mother. Times were tough, and Edith, Anne and Margot did not last long. Poor Edith soon got ill and unfortunately died on January 6, 1945. Her young, teenage girls died shortly after in March with a life taking illness called Typhus. When the liberation came shortly after the three girls’ death, Otto returned home hoping to find his daughters and wife, and instead found that he would be devastated and alone forever.
Remembering Anne
Vocabulary Words
Annex- a building associated with a main building
Chancellor- the head of government in some European countries, such as Germany
Holocaust- a genocide in which Adolf Hitler and the Nazis were against Jews and killed an estimated 6 million of them
Meager- lacking in quantity or quality
Typhus- an infectious disease