But despite suspicions, there was no conclusive evidence van Maaren betrayed the family. Barnouw, the historian, said the blackmail supposition is thin. Regardless of whether van den Bergh was the person who informed on the Franks, the ones ultimately responsible for their deathsand those of the more than 100,000 Dutch Jews murdered during the Holocaustwere the Nazis. Since 2017, Van Wijk has been interviewed several times by members of an international forensics team looking into the cold case of the betrayal, he told The Times of Israel. Daniel Finkelstein reflects on the tragedy of the Frank family as a new book, published this week, delves into the riddle of who revealed their . For decades suspicion centred on a man called Willem Van Maaren, who worked in the warehouse attached to the Franks' hiding place. | READ MORE. Lena had already lost her son in the war, the theory goes, and her husband worked for Otto's food preservatives firm. SD big shot Willy Lages knew that the callerwas a well-known informant. Though the Nazis dissolved the council in September 1943, sending most of its members to concentration and death camps, van den Bergh and his family managed to escape deportationan exemption indicating that the notary had some kind of leverage, according to Pankoke. In Van Wijks assessment, there is no doubt Nelly knew about the Jews in hiding. Only the father, Otto Frank, survived. Her work has appeared in a number of publications, including NYmag.com, Flavorwire and Tina Brown Media's Women in the World. Suddenly, a passer-by used a flashlight to take a look inside. Shortly after World War II ended, Otto Frank suggested that the culprit was Willem van Maaren, a warehouse employee who was not in on the secret. Two other plausible suspects emerged over the years: Lena van Bladeren-Hartog (died 1963) and Tonny Ahlers (1917 - 2000). During his research for the book, Van Wijk learned that Nelly did far more than engage in flirtations with German soldiers. Pankoke and his team also spent hours looking for clues in the concealed rooms behind an Amsterdam warehouse, where the Frank family and four other Jews lived hidden away for more than two years. Dutch police launched two separate investigations focusing on van Maaren, but did not uncover any conclusive evidence. Additionally, believes Van Wijk, Otto Frank either suspected or knew of Nelly Voskuijls role in the betrayal. It was clear that Tonny Ahlers had no knowledge that Otto Frank and the others were hiding in the annex.". Click the link in that email to complete your registration. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital According to Pankoke, for Van den Bergh to have that level of protection, he must have had some leverage with the Nazis. Explanations for the discovery are mainly based on testimonies, because no documents about the raid on the Secret Annex have been preserved. During the day we always have to walk quietly and speak softly, the people in the warehouse mustnt hear us, Anne wrote in her diary (11 July 1942). Meilan Solly is Smithsonian magazine's associate digital editor, history. First published on January 16, 2022 / 8:09 PM. Photo collection: Nationaal Archief/ Anefo, access number 2.24.01.04, item number 919-6449. They could, for example, not flush the toilet too often, because the water discharge from the Secret Annex ran along the storeroom. In Anne's diary it becomes clear that the Annex occupants also did not trust him. Many experts believe that someone alerted Nazi authorities to the hiding place, but the identity of the culprit has never been conclusively determined. In the end, the list of people who were accused of being involved in the case is too long to include in its entirety. That, Ms Lee suggests, is more likely to have been a man called Maarten Kuiper, who made a living from the betrayal of Jews and who moved into Ahlers' flat with him the day before the raid. As a member of the local Jewish Counciladministrative bodies established by the Nazis to govern Jewish communities in German-occupied Europevan den Bergh had access to lists of addresses where Jews were known to be in hiding. Many experts believe that someone alerted Nazi authorities to the hiding place of Frank and her family, but the culprit has never been determined. In a 2002 biography of Anne Frank's father, Otto, author Carol Ann Lee suggested the betrayer might be Tonny Ahlers, a Dutch National Socialist. Then, the team considered the motive. Prior to that, Frank always said he did not want to know who betrayed his family. Then, in 2016, a team of investigators, led by a veteran FBI agent, decided to bring modern. The trove of information is so large that a human in their lifetime might not be able to review it, Pankoke tells Stephanie van den Berg andAnthony Deutsch of Reuters. 'My aunt might have betrayed Anne Frank,' writes son of Secret Annex It is believed that an anonymous tip helped guide the Nazis to the secret annex, yet despite decades of investigations, the identity of the informant has never been proven. A petty thief and unsavory braggart, Van Maaren was investigated shortly after the war, but nothing was proved. It's been such a long time, and most of the people who knew are dead.". The sound might arouse suspicion. The case. Hermann van Pels hit the ground with an axe, which finally drove them away. Speaking with Marsha Lederman of the Globe and Mail, Sullivan says the researchers characterize the notary as a tragic figure, not as some kind of villain. Bayens tells the AP that [w]e went looking for a perpetrator and we found a victim., Van den Bergh gave that list as a way of keeping him and his family out of the extermination camps, Sullivan says.
Worst Fielding Percentage Mlb 2021,
June's Journey Sweep The Board Scenes,
Articles W