Why Did Anne Frank Have In Hiding

The Secret Annex
Have you ever wondered, How would life be if I were in hiding all the time? or What would I do if I had to go into hiding? Well, those are great but scary questions to ask. The Franks, Van Daans and a couple of extra people, had to go into hiding during World War II in order to keep their family and friends safe. They all fit into the same hiding place. It is important for all to know that they were in hiding, why they were in hiding, and how they stayed in hiding for so long.
Anne Frank was born June 12th, 1929 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Her parents were Otto Frank and Edith HollÃonder. She had an older sister, Margot Frank, born in 1926. Anne and her family went through many terrible things for many years. Therefore, you should be informed of some of the most important events that happened in this time.
First, in 1933 Adolf Hitler and the Nazis took over Germany and the first anti-Jewish laws were authorized. Next, on March 12th, 1933, the first concentration camp opened in Oranienburg right outside of Berlin and the Nazi boycott of Jewish owned businesses took place on April of 1933. In June of 1933, another Concentration Camp is opened, Dachau.
Because of the events taking place in Germany, Anne's parents, Otto and Edith, realized that they had to leave Germany. So they made plans to go to Holland. Edith and the children first go stay with Rosa, Edith’s mother. Rosa lived in Aachen, Germany. A while after they got
settled, Edith and Otto get job offers in Amsterdam. Otto went to work while his family stayed Germany. Later on, his family joins him in Amsterdam.
Then, on September 15th, 1935, “Germany passes the Nuremberg Race Laws that deprived German Jews of their citizenship, their businesses, and their right to education” (“Anne Frank Timeline” 1.) And on September 1st, 1939, Nazis invade Poland. Britain, France, Austria and New Zealand declare War on Germany starting World War 2. (“Anne Frank Timeline” 1) January 8th, 1941, Dutch Jews are unable to access movie theaters or public transport. Later on that year, april of 1941, all Dutch Jews are forced to wear the yellow Star of David. January, 1942 Rosa, the grandmother of the young Frank girls, dies. On June 12th, 1942, Anne receives an autographed book and decides to use it as a diary. July 5th, 1942, Annes older sister is ordered to go to a labor camp. July 6th, 1942, the Frank Family goes into hiding because of the deportation order. After they go into hiding, others Jews join them to stay safe along with them. The families and friends that were in the Secret Annex stayed hidden for so long due to an extremely strict schedule. Even though the Secret Annex consisted of enough space and a safe place to stay, they all suffered terribly. “It had three floors, with many rooms. Everything that was there was many offices, storage rooms, a kitchen, beds, desks, sofas, tables, cupboards, and an attic. It was way more crowded than a normal house.” (“Rtholocaust” 1). The conditions were unbearable. They had to do everything in almost the same way every day if people were in the warehouse. If they messed up and made a sound when people were in the warehouse, they could have easily been caught and taken away by the Nazis. The schedule had to be planned almost perfectly so they weren’t even close to being caught during the day. Towards the end of the war, they were found and captured. But the schedule helped them stay in hiding for two years. With this schedule of being in silence almost all day every day for little to do, everyone changed little by little each day. Anne changed along with everyone else. She discovered that she would like to be a famous journalist or a writer when she grows up. She planned on spending a year in Paris and London learning languages and studying art history. Sadly, the things she planned for herself never happened due to being caught and dying in a concentration camp. She never got to live a normal and fascinating life. They had people bringing them whatever they so pleased. The same people kept a lookout for them, and warned them with news of the outside world. One of these people, Johan Voskuijl, falls very ill. “When serious illness forces him to stop working in spring 1943, he is greatly missed by those in hiding. They no longer have anyone in the warehouse keeping an eye out on their behalf.” (“Anne Frank Diary” 6). They were then deathly terrified of what could happen next.August 1st, 1944 the final diary entry of Anne Frank. August 4th, 1944, the Secret Annex was stormed by German Police, all the members of the Secret Annex were arrested and taken to the Gestapo Headquarters where they were held overnight. They were then sent to an overcrowded prison on the Weteringschans where they stayed for two nights. They were then sent to Auschwitz. Once there, the men are separated from the women. Anne and Margot are transported to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Edith dies from starvation in Auschwitz. The Russian Allies liberate the remaining survivors in Auschwitz, including Otto Frank. Margot Frank died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen, next Anne dies the same way her sister did. Otto returned to Amsterdam. He didn’t know if his family was dead or alive. Otto found out that Anne and Margot died at Bergen-Belsen. His friend, Miep gives him the diary written by Anne Frank that she found in the annex after the family was arrested. Not many of the people from the Secret Annex survived in the concentration camps even though they weren’t there very long. They not only suffered mentally but also physically. They starved, got diseases, they had nothing to do, and they were always cramped in small places. They were sick due to conditions they went through. What a terrible time in history.

Works Cited
“Anne Frank Diary.” Dagboek Anne Frank,
diary.annefrank.org/what-did-anne-write-about/.
Anne Frank Timeline, www.datesandevents.org/people-timelines/30-anne-frank-timeline.htm. Rtholocaust, ericsinchi01.wixsite.com/rtholocaust/the-secret-annex.
“Secret Annex.” Awesome Anne Frank, awesomeannefrank.weebly.com/secret-annex.html. Stichting, Anne Frank. “The Story of Anne Frank: The Hiding Place.” Anne Frank House, 15 Apr. 2010,
www.annefrank.org/en/Anne-Frank/Not-outside-for-2-years/-The-Secret-Annex/.