Anne Frank

¹ http://www.annefrank.org/en/Education/Travelling-exhibition/Introduction-international- exhibition/ .

² http://www.ymere.nl/ymere/index.asp?id=125 (Dutch only).

³ I published a small report on my journey in the Dachau Newsletter by the Foundation for Friends of Former Dachau Prisoners: Nieuwsbrief Dachau (Stichting Vriendenkring van Oud- Dachauers. Nr. 9 – December 1994) pp. 8-9. (Dutch only). The local media also covered the Jugendbegegnungszeltlager (youth gathering) in which I participated (Süddeutsche Zeitung, 10 August 1994), p. 7 (German only).

⁴ Reports of my journey were published on http://joodsactueel.be/2011/01/03/in-de- voetsporen-van-anne-frank-1929-1945/ and in a heritage magazine: Jansen, Ronald Wilfred. Stille Getuigen. Sporen van Anne Frank in het (stedelijke) landschap [Silent Witnesses. Reminders of Anne in the (Urban) Landscape], in: Monumenten. Hét tijdschrift voor cultureel erfgoed [Monuments. The Cultural Heritage Magazine] (Volume 32, issue 5, May 2011) (both Dutch only).

⁵ My English photo book: Jansen, Ronald Wilfred, Anne Frank. A Memorial Tour in Current Images (2009) and its Dutch original are listed in the catalogue of the German National Library ( http://d-nb.info/998592757 ). The English version is part of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum library collection. ( http://catalog.ushmm.org/vwebv/search?searchCode=GKEY%5E&searchType=0&searchAr g=memorial+tour+in+current+images ). ‘ In his photo book, Ronald Jansen reveals how our physical landscape contains reminders of Anne’s arrival and departure, presence and absence. Jansen tours Anne Frank’s home addresses, her hiding place and the concentrations camps where she was imprisoned, i.e. Westerbork, Auschwitz-Birkenau and Bergen-Belsen. In his report of this project, which he himself describes as a memorial tour or historical journey, Jansen takes old photos from the archives and puts them next to the pictures he has recently taken from the same perspective. One of the photographs, taken in the summer of 1932, shows three-year-old Anne playing with water in her garden. The photo taken decades later portrays the stones that were once a part of this scene. The building and the courtyard [Ganghoferstrasse 24, Frankfurt am Main, Frank family residence] are still there, but there are no children playing. In this way, Jansen captures the void Anne left behind.’ (Borgman, Erik and Liesbeth Hoeven, Sporen van afwezigheid. Gedenken in stemmen, stenen en stilte [Traces of Absence: Commemorating in Voices, Stones and Silence] (Zoetermeer, 2011), p. 55. The residence stated in the books published by Unibook—which have been withdrawn from the market—is incorrect: Anne did not reside at 5 Liebfrauenstrasse in Eschweiler at this time but at 5 Elsa-Brändström-Strasse in Aachen. I am grateful to the Anne Frank Stichting for pointing this out to me (email dated 14 August 2009). The paperback edition available through CreateSpace does state the correct address and also contains a current photo of the building. This English edition is available in full colour (ISBN 9781466281936) or in black and white (ISBN 9781463714345). Since 2011, my photo book has been available in the Netherlands and Belgium through POD publisher www.mijnbestseller.nl (ISBN 9789491080555 (English version) and ISBN 9789491080432 (Dutch version)). In 2011, I also published a black and white paperback booklet on Anne Frank at Mijnbestseller: In de voetsporen van Anne Frank (Following the footsteps of Anne Frank, ISBN 9789081423847).

⁶ Email from the Anne Frank Fonds, 16 February 2009.

⁷ POD stands for ‘Print on Demand’. In POD, the author generally provides the text and lay- out. Most POD publishers in the Netherlands will provide registration at the central distribution centers in the Netherlands and Belgium (Centraal Boekhuis and Libris respectively). More information can be found on https://portal.boekhuis.nl/cbonline/ . The POD publisher will often take care of sales and distribution. Seeking publicity is usually the author’s task. Hoogeveen.nu (2 July 2009), Reformatorisch Dagblad (11 November 2009), Weekblad Meppel (25 August 2009), Auschwitz-Bulletin (53, no. 3, September 2009), the Krant van Midden Drenthe (19 August 2009), De Echo (‘Zuid’ edition, 3 February 2010), The Frankfurter Rundschau (13 June 2011) and the NIW (31) wrote about my publications. The Hoogeveensche Courant (26 June 2009 and 14 August 2009) wrote an elaborate article on my photo project. The Krant van Hoogeveen (25 August 2009), Dagblad van het Noorden (01 July 2009), Meppeler Courant (2 July 2009) and various other local (internet) media ( www.deloodsboot.nl ) and websites ( http://anne-frank.startpagina.nl/ , http://concentratiekampen.loggy.nl/ , http://www.goethe.de/ins/nl/ams/nlindex.htm?wt_sc=nederland , http://www.stiwot.nl/ ) covered my publications on the internet. My gratitude goes out to all of them for their interest—especially the Hoogeveensche Courant .

⁸ ‘Random House is the exclusive licence holder for all Anne Frank texts in English within the US and Canada. They paid us a lot of money in order to acquire those rights, which is the reason they can decide whether or not to grant publishing rights of English Anne Frank texts and whether or not they want to charge money for it. This is normal procedure in international publishing.’ (Email from the Anne Frank Fonds, 1 September 2009).

⁹ Verenigingsblad Waffel (June 2010, no. 44).

¹⁰ ‘This book contains beautiful photographs. It is an excellent idea to take pictures of the places Anne has been to.’ (Translation of a Dutch email from the Anne Frank Stichting, 14 August 2009).

¹¹ ‘So far two members of the board are each holding a copy of your book and they are both very impressed with the book and like it very much.’ (Email from the Anne Frank Fonds, 17 August 2008).

¹² Email from the Anne Frank Stichting, 17 February 2009. The Anne Frank Stichting was of the opinion that my book did not fit their objectives. I do not really understand their point, but of course I respect their decision. The Anne Frank Stichting employs its own writers who publish books on Anne and sell them in their shop.

¹³ http://www.gettyimages.nl/ .

¹⁴ http://members.casema.nl/a.tiggeler/ .

¹⁵ http://www.amsterdamsetrams.nl/ .

¹⁶ http://www.gettyimages.nl/detail/3229104/Premium-Archive .

¹⁷ The Kristallnacht was a pogrom organised by the Nazis against Jewish people in Germany (9-10 November, 1938).

¹⁸ Melissa Müller does a great job of separating main topics from side ones, structures her book well without losing sight of the chronological order of events and manages to place Anne in a broader context. Dutch edition: Anne Frank. De biografie (Amsterdam, 1998) English edition: Anne Frank: The Biography (Macmillan 2013).

¹⁹ Even now, new books about Anne are being published, some of which provide a new perspective. An example is Francine Prose’s work Anne Frank. Leven en werk van een schrijfster (Amsterdam, 2009) which emphasises Anne’s artistic talents. English editon: Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife (Harper Collins Books, 2009). Anne’s life is also 19" available as a graphic novel (Jacobsen S. and E. Colón, Anne Frank. The Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography (Anne Frank House, 2010)).

²⁰ Carol Ann Lee states that Hanneli and her family emigrated to the US in 1940 (Lee, Carol Ann, Pluk rozen op aarde en vergeet mij niet. Anne Frank 1929-1945 (Amsterdam, 1998) p. 82). English editon: Roses from the Earth: The Biography of Anne Frank (Penguin Books, 2000). In fact, Hanneli was deported to Bergen-Belsen. On page 83, Carol writes that Otto’s office was located at Singelgracht, but his office was at Singel (no. 400, Amsterdam). (Lee, Carol Ann, Pluk rozen op aarde en vergeet mij niet. Anne Frank 1929-1945 (Amsterdam, 1998) p. 68).

²¹ Anne Frank Stichting, Anne Frank. Haar leven in brieven [Her Life in Letters] (Amsterdam, 2006).

²² Official English title of The Diaries : The Diary of Anne Frank: The Revised Critical Edition. The Netherlands Institute for War Documentation (New York, 2003). Original Dutch title: De Dagboeken van Anne Frank. Rijksinstituut voor Oorlogsdocumentatie (Amsterdam, 1990/2001).

²³ The Diaries, 28 September 1942.

²⁴ http://www.geheugenvanplanzuid.nl/tijdtijn/kaartAnneFrank.htm .

²⁵ De Telegraaf, 26 February 2008.

²⁶ http://www.yivoinstitute.org/

²⁷ In The Diaries (20 May 1944) Anne describes how a toppled vase ruins some of her work. This may have included entries from her diary.

²⁸ Otto had recently lost his family, so it is quite understandable that he left out Anne’s curses directed at her mother.

²⁹ De Dagboeken van Anne Frank , Rijksinstituut voor Oorlogsdocumentatie (Amsterdam, 2001).

³⁰ http://www.stormfront.org/forum/t215308/ .

³¹ ‘I learnt same more new words today, ‘bordeel’ [brothel] and ‘cocotte’ [floozie], I bought a separate booklet for those.’ ( The Diaries , 28 October 1942).

³² ‘Father made Margot and me a filing box with cards that are blanc on one side. This will become our card catalogue of books; we will both write down what books we have read, by whom they were written and the date.’ ( The Diaries , 27 February 1943).

³³ The Diaries , 11 May 1944.

³⁴ http://www.ymere.nl/ymere/index.asp?id=125 .

³⁵ Eva Schloss’ book ( Herinneringen van een joods meisje [Memories of a Jewish Girl] (Breda, 2005)) states that she became Anne’s friend. Eva lived at Merwedeplein during the same period as Anne. Anne does not mention her in her diary.

³⁶ ‘I NEVER read Anne’s diary, in spite of the fact that my daughter left it in our house for over a year. And probably I never will. My opinion on all those publications is the subject is being milked out (...) I think history has become too much focused on Anne, while so many other things were going on in the neighourhood [Francien lived near the Franks].’ (translation of a Dutch email from Francien Bachra, 21 December 2010).

³⁷ http://www.geschiedenis24.nl/andere-tijden/afleveringen/2002-2003/Hilde-Goldberg.html

38 http://www.bijbelaantekeningen.nl/blog/2011/01/19/oproep-informatie-over-anne-frank- gezocht/ , De Weekkrant Amsterdam 11 January 2011 p. 4, http://www.dichtbij.nl/amsterdam- zuid/regionaal-nieuws/artikel/1882689/gezocht-getuigen-anne-frank.aspx , www.echo.nl 28 December 2010, http://hetverhalenarchief.nl/user-stories , Nieuw Israelietisch Weekblad ( NIW ) 17 14 January 2011 p.37, http://rivierenbuurt.weblog.nl/2008/05/08/profielschets- stadsdeelvoorzitter/ , http://www.seniorennet.nl/forum/viewtopic.php?t=71829&sid=432713e3d58f49e9b534626b8 63b51a5 . , http://www.deweekkrant.nl/pages.php?page=1528934 , Weekblad De Echo Editie 20" Amsterdam Oud-Zuid 2 February 2011, http://www.joodswelzijn.nl/de-Benjamin-Joodse- agenda/Oproepjes-activiteiten-ingezonden-door-lezers.aspx . The Centraal Joods Overleg (CJO, the Netherlands Central Jewish Consulting Body) does not have a magazine and only places content on their website that is directly related to the CJO. Some organisations, such as Gedenkstätte Bergen-Belsen and the Stadtbibliothek Aachen, do not have a newsletter. The Westerbork Camp Memorial Centre (Herinneringscentrum Kamp Westerbork) and the Anne Frank Stichting in Amsterdam did not reply when I asked for permission to publish a request for information about Anne.

³⁹ http://www.zuidelijkewandelweg.nl/ .

⁴⁰ http://www.anne-in-de-buurt.nl/ .

⁴¹ Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung ( www.faz.de ), http://www.zeitungsverlag-aachen.de/ , http://www.az-web.de .

⁴² Max C. van der Glas.

⁴³ http://www.geheugenvanplanzuid.nl/ingezonden/113.htm .

⁴⁴ This also applies to some of Anne’s other former neighbours who may have seen Anne without knowing. ‘I am afraid I cannot help you because I never met Anne. Still, our paths must have crossed regularly since we lived in Niersstraat across the school that Anne attended for a few years. By coincidence, I worked at Sporthuis Centrum in 1961, and there I became acquainted with a girl from Rotterdam who would travel up and down between Amsterdam and Rotterdam. She later found a room with the Vergnes family at 15 Merwedeplein . This means we know the roof terrace very well, although it was quite a feat to climb up there because it had no regular exit. Incidentally, I married that girl, and that will be 48 years ago this January [2011].’ (Translation of email from John Hendriks, 22 December 2010).

⁴⁵ http://www.nai.nl/bezoek/info .

⁴⁶ http://www.bma.amsterdam.nl/ .

⁴⁷ http://www.joodsamsterdam.nl/ .

⁴⁸ http://www.annefrank.org/en/Subsites/Home/ .

⁴⁹ The periodical’s title is The Consumer [De consument. Officieel orgaan op verkoopgebied verspreid door winkeliers aangesloten bij de Vakvereniging E.M.M] dated 11 January 1940. Page 7 lists the winners of puzzle 77 and 78. Anne Frank, 37 Merwedeplein won a photo album in group B (to be collected from shopkeeper J. v. Zalingen). In addition to a childrens’ page, the periodical contains recipes, a serial and advertisements. Mrs. S. L. L. Fransen presented the periodical as a gift to the Anne Frank Stichting in 1996. (Email from the Anne Frank Stichting, 15 December 2011).

⁵⁰ ‘Some are able to appreciate that [i.e. memories of Anne]. But we are her contemporaries and we lived in the same neighbourhood. We have seen so many houses being raided and none of those received the same attention. If I had had a say in it, the Merwedeplein residence would just have been rented out or sold.’ (Translation of a Dutch email from Francien Bachra, 8 January 2011) Her lively memories of the Rivierenbuurt can be read on: http://www.zuidelijkewandelweg.nl/ingezonden/francienvanderveenbachra.htm .

FRANKFURT AM MAIN

Anne’s Jewish ancestors in Germany were confronted with anti- Semitism and economic hardship as far back as the 17 ^th century. Anti- Semitism—hostility against Jews—is as old as the hills.

In 1806, emperor Napoleon I (1804-1815) established equal rights for Jews in Germany. Germany consisted of independent principalities at the time, with Prussia and Austria as its leading states. During the German Empire (1871-1918), Jews could participate in public, economic and social life like all other citizens.

During the course of the 19 ^th century, the German Empire industrialised rapidly; however, not everybody profited equally from these developments, and anti-Semitism rose amongst national- socialists, communists and conservatives. Many anti-Semitists were less successful in (banking) business and science than the Jews, and the government protected the Jewish community because they contributed considerable funds to the treasury.

Industrialisation, capitalism, fierce competition and theories centred on the survival of the fittest became prominent in economic practices. Many European countries sought to expand their territory and were engaged in a fierce battle for colonies and natural resources, which accelerated the rise of nationalism and racial classification theories.

During the German Empire, anti-Semitism was generally not expressed openly. Around 1900, however, the Bahnhofhotel Kölner Hof manager came to hate Jews to the extent that he prohibited them from entering his premises. The beer barrels were inscribed with degrading slogans about Jews, such as: Der Jude ist nicht ein Teutscher sondern ein Täuscher (Jews are not Germanic; they are cheaters), Nicht ein Bürger, sondern ein Würger (Not citizens but stranglers), Das Judentum […] verdient […] Ausrottung (Judaism deserves to be exterminated) and Kauft nicht bei Juden (Do not purchase from Jews) ¹. In spite of the open hostility against the Jewish, however, many Jews remained loyal to their native country.

Anne’s (great) grandparents adopted German customs and habits, working their way up into the well-to-do, educated upper class of Jewish entrepreneurs in Frankfurt am Main.

Because of its strategic location at the river Main, Frankfurt am Main grew into a major trade centre over the course of the centuries.

Otto Frank did not attend a Jewish school. Instead, he attended advanced secondary education at the public Lessing Gymnasium. Following his graduation in 1908, Otto enrolled in a postgraduate course on economics at the Heidelberg University. However, he quit his studies after a few months, choosing to take up a position with a bank; subsequently, through a fellow student, he was offered the chance to gain work experience at Macy’s department store in New York. Otto left for the United States in September 1909. Unfortunately, he had to return shortly afterwards because his father passed away on 17 September 1909. Following a brief return, Otto went back to the US. This time, he stayed for two years. He spent his first year working at Macy’s department store before taking up a position at a bank. He returned to Germany in the autumn of 1911. Otto started out working for a company in Düsseldorf, which produced window frames. After a while, he joined a company producing horseshoes. ² The suppressed frustrations and internal tensions came to a head in WWI: ‘Like the majority of Germans, the Jews responded to the August 1914 declarations of war with enthusiastic nationalism’. ³ The Centralverein deutscher Staatsbürger jüdischen Glaubens (Central Committee of German Citizens of the Jewish Faith) sent out an appeal: ‘To the German Jews! In this fateful hour, our native country is calling its sons to arms. It speaks for itself that every German Jew who is called for duty is prepared to sacrifice his life. Fellow believers! We appeal to you to dedicate your strength to your native country and exceed your duty! Take up arms voluntarily! All of you, men and women alike, should serve your country by personal service of any kind and by providing funds and resources! Berlin, 1 August 1914.’4 2 Incidentally, conscription made enlistment in the armed forces compulsory at this time.

Propaganda by the German empire, as well as the prevailing public opinion in Germany that Russia had started WWI, caused the patriotism of German Jews to increase. Because of the pogroms in Russia and the Russian expulsion of Jews, German Jews felt especially militant.

WWI was the first military conflict on an immense scale in which new technologies and poison gas were deployed. Many young soldiers died in the trenches. Over 17 million soldiers and civilians died during this Great War. Eventually, Germany was defeated.

Otto Frank had been an officer in the German army and took Germany’s defeat as a personal failure.

Following WWI, Germany was in an afflicted state. It was suffering from a severe economic crisis and pervasive unemployment. The country had been devastated. The Germans regarded the Treaty of Versailles (1919) as a major defeat. Germany was heavily impacted by its loss of territory, the forced dismantling of its army and the compensatory payments resulting from the Treaty.

During the Weimar Republic (1918-1933), the Jews were formally equal to other citizens; in practice, however, the crisis led to increased nationalism and anti-Semitism. Many blamed the Jews for the military defeat and the resulting hardships.

During this period, the Frank family bank experienced great difficulties as a result of the various restrictions imposed upon the currency trade. Privately, the Franks also experienced major financial losses; their savings had evaporated due to inflation, and their war shares, in which they had invested considerably with a view to German victory, had become void. ⁵ The pre-WWII patriotic enthusiasm of German Jews can be compared to the current patriotism of Jews in the Netherlands. Most Dutch Jews support the royal family and happily join in singing the national anthem Het Wilhelmus at official gatherings, both domestically and abroad. Notably, however, it was the same in Germany before the onset of WWII. ⁶ 2 Following the German defeat, many German Jews devoted themselves to supporting democracy and socialism, ⁷ with a great number of them actively involved in interest groups, such as the Reichsbund jüdischer Frontsoldaten (national league of Jewish front soldiers), established in 1919, which looked after the interests of Jewish WWI veterans. Many Jews in Germany also provided support for the Ostjuden, who were subjected to heavy persecutions in Russia. As far as I am aware, the Franks were not (very) active in politics. After WWI, Otto reluctantly took over the bank from his mother and his brother Herbert Frank (1891-1987, hereafter referred to as Herbert). ⁸ Herbert was not a very talented banker, and his eldest brother, Robert Frank (1886-1953, hereafter referred to as Robert), ⁹ was not interested in taking over. ¹⁰ Otto was not a born banker, either. He had aborted his undergraduate course in economics and, according to Anne, was not particularly good at maths. ‘I flatly refuse to do these foul math problems every day. Daddy Agrees that they’re horrible. I’m almost better at them than he is, though neither of us is much good and we have to fetch Margot all the time,’ Anne wrote whilst in hiding. ¹¹ The family bank in Germany was performing poorly. In 1923, Otto opened M. Frank & Zonen—a Dutch branch of the German family bank—in a stately building on a canal in Amsterdam (604 Keizersgracht). This was risky business: there was a dire scarcity of currencies in Germany and various restrictions were in force pertaining to banks that wanted to trade currencies.

This coincided with the failed coup by Adolf Hitler (1889-1945, hereafter referred to as Hitler) on 9 November 1923, and his consecutive brief detainment during which he wrote Mein Kampf, which was to become the National Socialist bible. It was still relatively quiet in the Netherlands.

On 31 December 1923, Otto registered the bank’s Dutch affiliate with the Amsterdam Chamber of Commerce. Otto appointed Johannes ‘Jo’ Kleiman (1896-1959, hereafter referred to as Johannes) as his main accountant. M. Frank and Zonen did not do well; the bank went into liquidation in 1924.

The premises on 604 Keizersgracht ¹² currently host various companies. The old architecture is still visible in many of its details, such as its letterbox and door knobs. There are many beautiful buildings with a rich history on Keizersgracht.

Otto married 25 year old Edith Holländer (1900-1945, hereafter referred to as Edith) on 12 May 1925, his birthday, in the synagogue in Aachen. Photographs show a radiant couple on their honeymoon in Italy. It was a marriage of convenience, and Edith’s capital was of great use to Otto. Edith received a monthly allowance from her mother Rosalie ‘Rosa’ Holländer-Stern (1866-1942, hereafter referred to as Rosa) from Aachen. ¹³ Otto had been engaged before. ¹⁴ ‘(…) I think Father married Mother because he thought she was the best replacement for his fiancée (...) it cannot be easy for a loving wife to know that she will never occupy the first place in her husband’s heart,’ Anne wrote in her diary. ¹⁵ After the wedding, the couple took up residence in the home of Otto’s parents at 4 Mertonstrasse in Frankfurt am Main. Otto’s father, Michael Frank (1851-1909, hereafter referred to as Michael), ¹⁶ had purchased this semi-detached house in 1901. When his father died, his widow, Alice Betty Frank-Stern (1865-1953, hereafter referred to as Alice), was left in charge. The large, stately urban villa was suitable for the well-to-do upper middle class. It was located in an elegant residential area, and had a separate entrance for servants, ¹⁷ three balconies at the front, a dome, a central tower, and a large garden.

Otto and Edith had two daughters. Their first child, Margot Betti Frank (1926-1945, hereafter referred to as Margot), was born on 16 February 1926. Halfway through 1927, when Margot had just started walking, the family rented an apartment in a villa at 307 Marbachweg in the Betramshöhe area on the outskirts of Frankfurt am Main in the Dornbusch district—approximately three miles north-east of Mertonstrasse. ¹⁸ The rent was affordable for the Franks. ¹⁹ The family lived at 307 Marbachweg, which was a semi-detached home like 4 Mertonstrasse, until late March, 1931. This large residence remains to this day, situated on a crossroads in a Frankfurt 2 am Main suburb. It was built by its former landlord with the support of the Frankfurt am Main Teachers’ Association.

The Franks inhabited the left side of the complex. The house actually comprised two separate living spaces, one on the first floor and one on the second, which were connected by a staircase. The family’s living room, dining room and library were downstairs. Otto and Edith were not intellectuals, but they did read widely. I suspect Otto was not very interested in Jewish history. In 1922, the Museum Jüdischer Altertümer ²⁰ opened in Frankfurt am Main (the Museum of Jewish Antiquities at 14/15 Untermainkai). I do not know whether the Franks visited this museum (with any interest).

In addition, the Franks’ residence contained a kitchen, bathroom, and a room for Edith. The small room was furnished with Edith’s elegant writing desk, which she had brought from Aachen, and a bookcase in which she kept her Hebrew prayer books. Otto was not interested in Jewish customs or the Torah. Edith’s family celebrated Jewish holidays, ate kosher foods ²¹ and were prominent members of the Jewish community in Aachen. I cannot tell whether Otto’s and Edith’s parent would have gotten along well.

Otto and Edith’s bedroom, Margot’s bedroom, Edith’s study and the maid’s room were upstairs. The guest room at the back of the house had a balcony with potted flowers. Edith loved flowers. At the back of the Marbachweg residence there was an entrance leading to the basement and a play area.

Edith’s parents and her brothers, Julius Holländer (1894-1967, hereafter referred to as Julius) and Walter Holländer (1897-1968, hereafter referred to as Walter), often came to visit from Aachen. Anne and Margot’s uncles would regularly take them by car to their grandmother in Aachen.

The landlord resided on the ground floor of number 305; the first floor was inhabited by the Stab family. Their neighbours at number 303 were the Naumanns.

On 12 June 1929, when Margot had just turned three, Anne was born in the Klinik des Vaterländischen Frauenvereins in der 2 Eschenheimer Anlage ²² in Frankfurt am Main—a joyful family occasion.

In summer, the family liked to sit on the balcony at the back of the house, which overlooked a small garden and the street. The children would swing or play in the Stabs’ sandpit. The Marbachweg area was a green area with plenty of space for children to play.

In October 1929, the year of Anne’s birth, share prices at Wall Street crashed, which initiated a worldwide economic crisis that would last for many years. Tens of millions of people suffered because of unemployment and poverty—not only in America but also in Europe. Germany was afflicted the most by the crisis because of the burdensome WWI compensatory payments. The global crisis also severely affected the family bank.

The bank had to move to less costly premises on the edge of the city centre, at 20 Bockenheimer Anlage. In her diary, Anne refers to her parents’ financial situation as follows: ‘Daddy was born in Frankfurt am Main, his parents were immensely rich, Michael Frank owned a bank and became a millionaire and Alice Stern had very rich and distinguished parents. Michael Frank had not been at rich when he was young, but he duly worked his way up. In his youth Daddy had a real little rich boy’s upbringing: parties every week, balls, festivities, beautiful girls, waltzing, dinners, a large home, etc., etc. After Grandpa’s death [in 1909] all the money was lost and after the World War [WWI] and the inflation nothing was left at all.’23 The crisis and the inability of governments to turn the tide provided fertile ground for fascism in Europe. Hitler’s national- socialists were rapidly gaining ground in Frankfurt am Main and throughout Germany and, as usual, blamed the Jews for the crisis and ensuing unemployment. Since Frankfurt am Main was an important financial centre and the Jews had always been very influential there, the national-socialists regarded Frankfurt am Main as the place from which the Jews wanted to establish their worldwide rule.

Jews were increasingly confronted with harassment. Otto’s parents were members of the B’nai B’rith association. ²⁴ This support 2 group, run for and by Jews, had been established in Amsterdam in 1924. Although Otto was not very interested in Jewish traditions, he was very concerned for the fate of the Jewish people.

According to author Melissa Müller, one-fifth of the population of Westend—a district in Frankfurt am Main—was Jewish, but not many Jews lived in the Marbachweg area. ²⁵ Jewish buildings, however, indicate that a Jewish community was active around Marbachweg. On 8 September 1929, the Jewish cemetery at Eschersheimer Landstraße was founded—not even half a mile from 307 Marbachweg. The synagogues taught Hebrew and organised readings. Der Freisinnige Verein für jüdisches Gemeindeleben ²⁶ (the Liberal Society for Jewish Community Life) provided education at the Westend Synagogue.

According to Melissa Müller, there was no synagogue close to Marbachweg. ²⁷ The main synagogue was located two and a half miles from Marbachweg, in the inner city. Melissa Müller indicates that the Franks did not attend the main (liberal) synagogue, but rather the Westend one. ²⁸ The Westend synagogue had been in use since 1910, and was designed by the architect Franz Roeckle (1879-1953). It was located at 30 Freiherr-vom-Stein-Strasse, and was the first synagogue in Frankfurt am Main outside the ancient city walls. There was another synagogue at 21-23 Unterlindau, the Synagoge der Israelitischen Gemeinde (synagogue of the Israelite community)—approximately two miles from Marbachweg.