Anne Frank in the World Exhibition DIARY EXTRACTS
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Anne Frank in the World Exhibition DIARY EXTRACTS Life in Amsterdam after the Nazi Invasion Anne writes on June 20th, 1942: “After May 1940 good times rapidly fled; first the war, then the capitulation, followed by the arrival of the Germans, which is when the suffering of us Jews really began. Anti-Jewish decrees followed each other in quick succession. Jews must wear a Jewish star, Jews must hand in their bicycles, and Jews are banned from trains and forbidden to drive. Jews are only allowed to do their shopping between 3 and 5 o’clock and then only in shops which bear the placard ‘Jewish shop.’ Jews must be indoors by 8 o’clock and cannot even sit in the gardens after that hour. Jews are forbidden to visit theatres, cinemas and other places of entertainment. Jews may not take part in public sports. Swimming baths, tennis courts, hockey fields and other sports grounds are all prohibited to them. Jews may not visit Christians. Jews must go to Jewish schools, and many more restrictions of a similar kind. So we could not do this and were forbidden to do that. But life went on in spite of it all. Jopie said to me, ‘I’m scared to do anything, because it may be forbidden.’ Our freedom is strictly limited. Yet things were still bearable.” Going into Hiding Anne writes on July 8th 1942: “Margot is sixteen; would they really take girls of that age away alone? But thank goodness she won’t go, Mummy said so herself; that must be what Daddy meant when he talked about us going into hiding.” That same night the Frank family decides to go into hiding. As much as possible is quickly brought to the place of hiding on the Prinsengracht. “We put on heaps of clothes as if we were going to the North Pole, the sole reason being to take clothes with us. No Jew in our situation would have dreamed of going out with a suitcase full of clothing. I had on two vests, 3 pairs of pants, a dress, on top of that a skirt, jacket, summer coat, two pairs of stockings, lace up shoes, wool cap, and scarf and still more; I was nearly stifled before we started, but no one inquired.” Anne writes on July 8 1942: “To go into hiding was dangerous. Jews in hiding who were found out or betrayed were sent to a concentration camp immediately, and the penalty for helping people was death.” Anne’s father has informed some of his staff about his plans to go into hiding and Miep and Elli offer to help him. Arriving at the Secret Annexe On arrival at the Annexe everything that has been brought there over the previous months has to be unpacked and put away. Anne finds this somewhat strange at first. She writes on July 11 1942: “I don’t think I shall ever really feel at home in this house, but that does not mean that I loathe it here, it is more like being on vacation in a very peculiar boarding house… The Secret Annexe is an ideal hiding place. Although it leans to one side and is damp, you’d never find such a comfortable hiding place anywhere in Amsterdam, not even in the whole of Holland. Our little room perhaps looked very bare at first with nothing on the walls: but thanks to Daddy who had brought my film star collection and postcards beforehand and with aid of paste, pot and brush, I have transformed the walls into one gigantic picture.” Young and hopeful as she is, Anne nevertheless understands the desperate situation her family is in. On July 11, 1942, she concludes her diary entry with these words: “I can’t tell you how oppressive it is never to be able to go out doors, I am afraid we shall be discovered and be shot. That is not exactly a pleasant prospect.” A few days later Mr and Mrs Van Daan who, along with heir fourteen year old son Peter, are also fleeing the Nazis and join the Franks in hiding. Collection of postcards News from Outside Naturally the family has had little contact with the outside world and are eager for news. On October 9, 1942, Anne writes in her diary: “I’ve only dismal and depressive news for you today. Our many Jewish friends are being taken away by the dozen. Theses people are treated by the Gestapo without a shred of decency, being loaded into cattle and trucks and sent to Westerbork, the big Jewish camp in Drenthe. Westerbork sounds terrible: only one washing cubicle for a hundred people and not nearly enough lavatories. If it is as bad as this in Holland whatever will it be like in the distant and barbarous regions they are sent to? We assume that most of them are murdered. The English radio speaks of their being gassed. Perhaps it is the quickest way to die. I feel terribly upset. Miep told these dreadful stories and she herself was equally wound up in the matter. Just recently for instance a poor old crippled Jewess was sitting on her doorstep; she had been told to wait there by the Gestapo, who had gone to fetch a car to take her away… this however is not the end of the bad news. Have you ever heard of hostages? That’s the latest thing in penalties for sabotage. Can you imagine anything so dreadful? Prominent citizens – innocent people – are thrown into prison to await their fate. If the saboteur can’t be traced, the Gestapo simply puts about five hostages against the wall. Announcements of the deaths appear in the papers frequently. More News In November 1942 the Frank and Van Daan families hide another person: Mr Dussel, a dentist, arrives, bringing with him more tragic news: “Dussel has told a lot about the outside world, which we have missed for so long now. He had very sad news. Countless friends and acquaintances have gone to a terrible fate. Evening after evening the green and grey army trucks trundle past. The Germans ring at every front door to inquire if any Jews live in the house. If there are, the whole family has to go at once: if they don’t find any, they go on to the next house. No one has a chance of evading them unless one goes into hiding. Often they go around with lists and only ring when they know they can get a haul. Sometimes they let them off for cash, so much per head. It seems like the slave hunts of old times. But it is certainly no joke; it’s much too tragic for that. In the evenings when it is dark, I often see rows of good, innocent people accompanied by crying children walking on and on, in charge of a couple of these chaps, bullied and knocked about until they almost drop. No one is spared old people, babies, expectant mothers, the sick, each and all join in the march of death.” Life in Hiding The families struggle to carry on as usual. For Anne, Margot and Peter that means studying and doing homework. Miep and Elli, from the office downstairs, borrow books from the library for them. The children read French, history, biology and algebra, a subject which Anne dislikes. Studying keeps them busy. It is imperative that no noise is made during business hours when people are working in the offices downstairs. At night they can move around more freely but there is still the constant fear of discovery. The essentials of life are always a problem. All kinds of things such as food and clothing are rationed. That meant in addition to money, special coupons, called stamps, are required to make almost any purchase. Everyone I entitled to a specific number of ration stamps, everyone, of course, but those hiding from the Nazis. It is possible to buy food illegally on the black market, but it is expensive and extremely dangerous. One way to survive is to use stolen ration stamps. This requires friends in the resistance to steal ration stamps buy the food and then smuggle it to people in hiding. It is enormously risky and involves the possible discovery and exposure of the resistance network. Still, it is necessary to maintain the lives of everyone in hiding. On March 14, 1944, Anne writes in her diary: “The people from whom we obtained food coupons have been caught, so we just have our five ration cards and no extra coupons, and no fats. As both Miep and Koophius are ill, Elli hasn’t time to do any shopping, so the atmosphere is dreary and dejected, and so is the food. From tomorrow we shall not have a scrap of fat, butter or margarine left. We can’t have fried potatoes (to save bread) for breakfast any longer, so we have porridge instead, as Mrs Van Daan thinks were starving, we have bought some full-cream milk ‘under the counter.‘ Our supper today consists of hash made from kale which has been preserved in a barrel. Hence the precautionary measure with the handkerchief. It’s incredible how kale can stink when it’s a year old. The smell in the room is a mixture of bad plums, strong preservatives and rotten eggs.” Anne Frank in the World Exhibition Packing a Bag Imagine that you had to hide out for a long time like the Franks. Draw a plan of your own bedroom Put in all the things you would need and want in the room to keep you going for nearly two years.