Remembering Anne Frank: Her Birth and Life Story

On this day in Jewish history: June 12th, 1929. Today we celebrate the birth and commemorate the short life of Anne Frank, a symbol of courage and resilience during World War II. View commemorative post on Instagram.

Anne Frank’s Early Life and Family

Frank is well-known for the diary she kept while in hiding during World War II. The Frank family moved to Amsterdam to escape the growing threat of Hitler and the Nazis. Otto Frank, Anne’s father, was the first to migrate, establishing a business in the city, followed by Edith Frank, Anne’s mother, who brought along Anne’s older sister, Margot, in December 1933.

The Diary That Echoed Through History

Frank received her diary on her twelfth birthday, June 12, 1942. Less than a month later, the family went into hiding. Frank diligently documented her experiences until her last entry on August 1st, 1944.

Arrest and Tragic Fate of the Frank Family

Unfortunately, the Frank family was discovered and arrested by SS officers in August 1944. The brave Miep Gies, who hid the Frank family, managed to salvage Anne’s diary before the SS officers liquidated the house. After a series of painful events, including separation and deportation to concentration camps, Anne and Margot succumbed to typhus, dying within days of each other at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

The Post-War Legacy of Anne Frank’s Diary

Following the end of the war, Otto Frank returned to Amsterdam and was reunited with Gies who handed him Anne’s writings. “The Diary of a Young Girl” was initially published in Dutch in 1947. Otto withheld some sections of the original diary, but the full version, including the previously omitted passages, was published in 1995.

Text Source: Jewish Virtual Library – Anne Frank

Image Source: Guy Portman’s Blog