Who was Anne Frank
Anne Frank (Annelies Marie Frank) was a Jewish girl born in Frankfurt, Germany on June 12, 1929. When the Nazis came to power in 1934, her parents, Otto and Edith Frank, took refuge with Anne and her older sister Margot in Amsterdam. Anne led a normal family life in Amsterdam until the German Occupation of the Netherlands on May 10, 1940. Heavy restrictions were put in place for Jews. On February 22, 1941, the German arrest and deportation of Jews to concentration camps began. In 1942, when Margot received a call-up notice for a work camp, the family went into hiding in a “Secret Annex” above Otto Frank’s office, located in the historic canal called the Prinsengracht in central Amsterdam.
On September 3, 1944, the Frank family took the last train out of Westerbork to the most infamous death camp of WWII, Auschwitz. Anne and Margot were later sent to Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp, where they both died, just weeks before the camp’s liberation in 1945.
The Diary of a Young Girl has been translated into more than 70 languages and is one of the most widely read works of nonfiction in the world. Anne’s words continue to inspire readers of all ages with its timeless and timely message of resilience, youthful optimism, and the need to stand together against hatred in all its forms.
Anne’s diary is a testament to why young people's voices matter.
ANNE FRANK DAY
In 2022, inspired by Anne Frank’s story, 10-year-old Olivia Prince, in cooperation with Anne Frank LA, approached Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz (5th District) about declaring an official day to honor Anne’s legacy ... and he agreed.
On April 26, 2022, the Los Angeles City Council adopted a resolution declaring May 12 to be Anne Frank Day in the City of Los Angeles. The day honors Anne, her father Otto (whose birthday is May 12), and the nearly 1.5 million children who perished during the Holocaust. Since then, May 12 has also been proclaimed Anne Frank Day by Mayor Konstantine Anthony in Burbank (2023) and by Mayor Victor Gordo in Pasadena (2024).
With Anne Frank Day now established in three SoCal cities – Los Angeles, Burbank, and Pasadena – our work continues, as we reach out to more local communities to officially commemorate May 12 as Anne Frank Day in their city.
Anne Frank Day is presented in partnership with The Anne Frank Fonds in Basel, Switzerland.