80: Diary

80 years ago today (June 12, 1942) received her famous Diary for her 13^th Birthday.

Born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1929 Anne and her Family fled Nazi Germany in 1934 and moved to Amsterdam, the Netherlands (which was Neutral during World War 1 so thought to be safe if another War started.)

On May 10, 1940 the Germans invaded the Netherlands and occupied it. The Germans implemented anti-Jewish laws forbidding Jews from most aspects of life and forced them to Register with the Authorities (where a “J” for “Jood” or “Jew” was placed in their Mandatory ID Card they had to carry at all times.)

Anne’s Father, Otto, tried to arrange for the Family to emigrate to the United States (which was Neutral from September 1, 1939-December 7, 1941) but their American Visa Application was never processed – due to the closing of the US Consulate in Rotterdam after the Rotterdam Blitz – where the Germans bombed Rotterdam on May 14, 1940 killing 884 Civilians and destroying most of the city.

In September 1941 the Germans forced all Jewish Students out of non-Jewish Schools so Anne and her Sister, Margot, had to leave the Montessori School and attend the Jewish Lyceum which had just been created.

In May 1942, shortly before she received her Diary, the Germans forced all Dutch Jews (150,000 in 1939 including 34,000 who had fled from Austria and Germany – like Anne’s Family) to wear the Star of David on the outside of their clothing.

On July 5, 1942 the Germans started deporting Dutch Jews. The Germans started with the Teenagers and Young Adults – like Margot – so there wouldn’t be any resistance like in previous actions (ie. the 1941 February Strike.)

On July 6, 1942: Anne, Margot and her Parents went into hiding at her Father’s Office on the Prinsengracht.  Victor Kugler, Johannes Kleiman, Miep Gies, and Bep Voskuijl were the only Employees who knew of the People in hiding. Along with Gies' Husband Jan Gies and Voskuijl's Father Johannes Hendrik Voskuijl, they were the "helpers" who bought black-market Food and other necessities for those in hiding – since they had no Ration Cards of their own.

On July 13, 1942 the Franks were joined by the Van Pels (Hermann, Auguste, and 16-year-old Peter) In November 1942 they were joined by  Fritz Pfeffer.

Anne wrote in her Diary from June 20, 1942 until August 1, 1944. She also wrote in Notebooks and on separate pieces of paper and wanted to have her work published after the War (when she heard a Radio Broadcast from the Dutch Government-in-Exile in London.)

On August 4, 1944 the Hiding Place was raided by the German Uniformed Police (Grüne Polizei) led by SS-Oberscharführer Karl Silberbauer of the Sicherheitsdienst. The Franks, Van Pelses, and Pfeffer were taken to RSHA headquarters, where they were interrogated and held overnight.

 On August 5, 1944, they were transferred to the Huis van Bewaring (House of Detention), an overcrowded Prison. Two days later they were transported to the Westerbork Transit Camp in the Netherlands, through which more than 100,000 Jews, mostly Dutch and German, had passed. Having been arrested in hiding, they were considered Criminals and sent to the Punishment Barracks for Hard labor.

 

On August 7, 1944, Gies attempted to facilitate the release of the prisoners by confronting Silberbauer and offering him money to intervene, but he refused.

On September 3, 1944 Anne and everyone else from the Hiding Place was deported by cattle car on the last train to leave Westerbork for the Auschwitz Death Camp in Poland where they arrived 3 days later.

Of the 1,019 Passengers, 549—including all Children younger than 15—were sent directly to the Gas Chambers and murdered. Anne, who had turned 15 three months earlier (the minimum age the Germans allowed Prisoners to do Hard Labor) entered Birkenau. The Men were separated from the Women. It was the last time Anne saw her Father.

Anne was forced to haul rocks and dig rolls of sod by day; by night, they were crammed into overcrowded barracks. Being outside all day she regularly saw People walking to their deaths in the Gas Chambers.

In October 1944 their group was selected to leave Auschwitz and go to the Leibau Labor Camp, but Anne had contacted Scabies and so went to the Camp’s Hospital instead. Margot and their Mother volunteered to stay in Auschwitz to care for Anne.

On October 28, 1944, after recovering from Scabies, Anne, Margot and Mrs. Van Pels left Auschwitz and went to the Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp in Germany.

Around March 1945, Anne died from Typhus at 15 years old a few days after her Sister, Margot. They were both buried in an unknown mass grave.

In July 1945, after Otto Frank learned that his whole Family had died, Miep Gies gave him Anne’s Diary. It was first published (in Dutch) in 1947, in German and French in 1950 and in English in 1952. It is currently published in 70 Languages.

73% of Jews in the Netherlands were killed by the Germans during the War (much lower than near-by France where 25% were killed and neighboring Belgium where 40% were killed.)