Hidden Lesson from the Episode of Anne Frank

This is a summerized story which was published in a journal of Japan-Jew cultural symposium printed in Kobe, Japan. [ "Minato: hjl (Namar)" July 1, 1996]

The woman who wrote her experience in the Holocaust was Mrs. Hanna Pick. She has a Jewish father who was an undersecretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs in the German government and her mother was a daughter of a famous Jewish lawyer in Berlin. Hanna's family was very happy until Nazi came into power. Her entire family was of very pious Orthodox Jewish belief. They observed all the Jewish Holidays and the everyweek Shabbat.

When the Nazi came into power, her father decided to immigrate to Netherlands so that he could keep observing the Shabbat and continue some productive work to help others. He moved to Amsterdam and opened his private law office. Guess who lived in her neighbor then. Anne Frank, who became famous in the latter day for her tragic end, lived in the same block in the town. Hanna and Anne were of same age and they went to the same school together. Anne's family also moved out from Germany fearing of future anti-Semitic persecution. Their families had shared several common things. However, only one thing is different between them. Hanna was brought up faithfully according with the Jewish commandments and was not allowed a cultural or religious compromise to the community while Anne was not like that. Anne was quite outgoing and very liberal. She attended public school on Saturday and enjoyed Christians Christmas Party (well, I am not saying that Christmas cerebration is sin... ). Every week Saturday, Anne brought back school assignments given on Saturday to Hanna's home. Anne had beautiful curly blond hair and looked good in style, attracting boys around her.

As Nazi invaded Netherlands and escalated persecution to Jews, Amsterdam was not safe for Jews anymore. All of the sudden, Hanna found that Anne's family disappeared from her home. Hanna's father did not escape; kept working in his law office without concealing his Jewish identity. They kept Shabbat every week and observed Jewish Holidays just like before. Suddenly, her mother died due to pregnancy complications. On street, she saw many Jews were taken to Gestapo police stations. Hanna and her father were not taken by police because their citizenship were already in Netherlands, not in Germany. Moreover, they possessed passports issued from Paraguay government, that prevented imprisonment for a while. Hanna had very nice German neighbors who helped Hanna's family while they were there.

Later, German army arrested the all Jews in town. Passports and foreign citizenship did not help at that time however. Hanna and her baby sister were separated from the father, and shipped to a concentration camp. Then, Hanna found the supervisor of the building was a friend of her father when he worked in the German government. So he consider the better treatment for Hanna and her sister in the prison. Later, they were transferred different prison. Then again, an unknown German woman came and visited her, and offered help for her baby sister.

One day, Hanna discovered that there was a special section in the concentration camp complex that had heavier barricade and wrapped around with multitude of chicken wires. Apparently, inside that, there were many Jews who received much more cruel treatment than Hanna did. Lo and behold, Hanna discovered Anne was there!! Hanna and Anne met again over the wall of chicken wire and cried. Anne looked so different. Her beautiful curly blond hair was almost all ripped off. She did not have anything to eat and had no clothe. Anne's sister was dying due to Typhus there.

"Why the treatment was so different between the two although both of us are same Jews?!" Hanna asked. Hanna was imprison according to the order of German authority. But, Anne's family was arrested in a flight. That was the difference. Hanna and Anne met three times. Hanna was thrown into a cargo train heading for gas chamber but her train was forced to stop by Allied army just before the destiny. Anne, however, slowly died in the concentration camp two weeks before the end of the war.

Hanna wrote the story as above and explained how different were the experience of the Holocaust and why she was saved while Anne ended her unfortunate young life.

Now, I would like to suggest out the reason why Hanna was saved; I hope you do not mind. I am not sure if Hanna actually realized that she was gurded with invisible divine hands. Hanna was saved because she observed Shabbat without concealing her faith among people. Remember what the prophet in Tanach said.

This humble woman paid full respect to G-d and His commandment, and followed the Shabbat which is the sign and promise of the Lord. Her miraculous survival was the consequence! She certainly passed over the extremely difficult situation. I say this because I shared similar experience of Sabbath with Hanna.