Anne Frank’s diary is a popular read even now, over 70 years after her death. However, a new investigation identified the suspect who might have betrayed the family to the Nazis.
Who betrayed Anne Frank and her family?
The young girl died at the age of 15, in a Nazi concentration camp after spending two years in hiding. The diary was published after her death. It is a famous first-hand account of the life of a Jew during the war. According to a team, a Jewish man gave away the Franks to save his family. The team is made up of experts and historians. They spent six years cracking the case with the help of modern investigation. It simplified the process of understanding connections between several people.
They struggled to accept that the Frank family was betrayed by one of their own, another Jewish family. They also found out that he was not sent to camp but, was living a ‘normal’ life in the city. Arnold Van den Bergh was a member of the Jewish council in Amsterdam. The council was forced to implement the Nazi government’s policies in Jewish parts of the city. The council disbanded in 1943 and the members were forced to go to concentration camps. Some also suggest that the council was feeding information on Jewish families to the Nazis.
More about the possible betrayer
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While investigating, the team found a copy of an anonymous note sent to Otto Frank, Anne Frank’s father. It was very important in identifying Van den Bergh as the betrayer. “When van den Bergh lost all his series of protections exempting him from having to go to the camps. He had to provide something valuable to the Nazis. And that he’s had contact with to let him and his wife at that time stay safe,” stated Vine Pankoke. Pankoke is a former FBI agent. He also added that anti-Semitism may be one of the reasons why this never became public. “But we have to keep in mind that the fact that [van den Bergh] was Jewish just meant that he was placed into an untenable position by the Nazis to do something to save his life,” he added.
According to Ronald Leopold, this new research generates new information. Mr. Leopold is the executive director of the Anne Frank House museum. While the museum was not directly involved, they helped by providing access to its archives. Some experts believe that if there were lists of Jews who were in hiding, it should have surfaced by now. Additionally, the degree of skepticisms stands and we may never know who betrayed the Frank family. The diary of the girl will always serve as a warning of what humanity is capable of. Especially during dark times.
