Written by Background
Anne Frank was a Jewish teenager who became one of the most well-known victims of the Holocaust. Born in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1929, Anne’s family fled to the Netherlands in 1934 to escape the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party.
In 1940, Germany invaded the Netherlands, bringing Nazi racial laws into effect. Jewish citizens were forced to wear yellow stars, banned from public places, and eventually rounded up for deportation to concentration camps. Fearing for their safety, the Frank family went into hiding in July 1942, living in a concealed attic behind Otto Frank’s business office in Amsterdam. For two years, Anne documented her experiences in what became known as “The Diary of a Young Girl.”
What Happened?
On August 4, 1944, Nazi officers and Dutch collaborators raided the secret annex, arresting Anne, her family, and four other Jews hiding with them. The family was first sent to the Westerbork transit camp, before being deported to Auschwitz in September 1944.
At Auschwitz, Anne was separated from her father, Otto Frank, and transferred to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in October 1944, along with her sister Margot Frank. The conditions were horrific—overcrowding, starvation, and disease were rampant. By early 1945, a deadly typhus outbreak swept through Bergen-Belsen, claiming thousands of lives, including Anne and Margot.
Anne died in March 1945, just weeks before British troops liberated the camp on April 15, 1945. Her father, Otto Frank, was the only member of the family to survive the Holocaust.
Impact for the Future
Anne Frank’s diary was published in 1947, after her father discovered her writings. Titled “The Diary of a Young Girl,” it became one of the most widely read books in the world, translated into over 70 languages.
The diary provided a human perspective on the Holocaust, educating millions about Nazi crimes and the horrors of genocide. Today, the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam serves as a museum, preserving her story.
Her legacy continues to inspire human rights activism worldwide, reinforcing the importance of tolerance, empathy, and standing against oppression.