Miep Gies: Not an Ordinary Hero

Miep Gies was a woman who had an extraordinary history. She helped hide the Franks and others from the Germans. Also, she kept Anne’s diaries so she could publish it. Finally, she was awarded the Grand Decoration of honour for services to the Republic of Austria. She was one of the most amazing women in history. Miep Gies helped many, kept Anne’s diary, and was honored.

       Miep Gies helped the Franks escape from the Germans. She describes in the article, “Miep Gies: Helping the Hider in the Secret Annex”, “When we arrived at the Frank apartment, few words were exchanged. I could feel their urgency, an uncurrent of near panic. But I could see that much needed to be organized and prepared. It was all too terrible.” In the book, Diary of a Young Girl, it states, “At eleven o’clock, Miep and Henk Van Saten arrived. Once again, shoes, stockings, books and clothes disappeared into Miep’s bag and Henk’s deep pockets.” Miep was asked by Otto Frank to help them. She knew it was an illegal act. Miep accepted this offer and hid them for two years. She did this until word came out that Jews were hiding in the Annex.

       Once the Franks were taken away, Miep found Anne’s diary. After all the commotion, Miep kept the diary in her dresser. Once Otto came back, Miep gave the diary back to Otto. Otto explains, “Miep, I have come to you because, out of all the people that are left, you and Jan are dearest to me.” Otto started reading the diary to other Jews. Miep helped him publish it for Anne. Miep exclaims in the article, “Miep Gies: Working Life”, “Though I wept a lot, I kept thinking, ‘Anne, you gave me one of the finest presents I ever got.’” That is what she said when reading her book.

       Because of her heroic actions in the 1930s-1940s, she was awarded for her deeds. She was presented the Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria. She also lived to be 100 years old. She exclaims, “I am one hundred years old now. That is an admirable age, and I have even reached it in fairly good health. So then it's fair to say I've been fortunate, and being fortunate seems to be the red thread running through my life.” She also states, “In those dark days during the war, we didn't stand on the sidelines. We offered a helping hand, we committed our very lives. We couldn't have done any more than that.”

Miep Gies was one heroic, fantastic, and amazing woman. She will always be remembered for what she did. She helped the Franks go into hiding from the Germans. She helped publish Anne Frank's diary. Finally, she was awarded for her kind, helping hand. Miep Gies was out of the ordinary.

Anne Frank: Leadership as a Legacy

Anne Frank was born on June 12, 1929 in Frankfurt, Germany and lived in Amsterdam during World War II. Fleeing the Nazis genocide actions towards Jews, her family went into hiding for two years. During those two years, she kept a diary where she recorded her deepest feelings and thoughts. She was fifteen when the Frank family was found. Anne died seven months later at Bergen-Belsen, a concentration camp, from a disease called typhus. Her book, The Diary of Anne Frank, has since been read by millions of people all over the world. Anne Frank grew up in an average German-Jewish family. Her father, Otto Frank, was a lieutenant in World War 1 and later became a businessman in Germany, and her mother, Edith Frank, stayed at home. Anne also had a sister named Margot who was three years older than her. Soon after Anne was born, the anti-Semitic National German Socialist Workers Party (Nazi Party) led by Adolph Hitler became Germany's leading political force, winning control of the government in 1933. Otto Frank said,”I can remember that as early as 1932, groups of Storm Troopers came marching by, singing, 'When Jewish blood splatters from the knife.” It was then the Frank family decided it was time to leave. They fled to Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1933. After Otto and his family left he said,”Though this did hurt me deeply, I realized that Germany was not the world, and I left my country forever.” On June 12, 1942, Anne's parents gave her a red checkered diary for her 13th birthday. Immediately, she started placing her thoughts and feelings in this diary. Weeks later on July 5, 1942 Margot was told to go to a concentration camp. The next day the family went into hiding in makeshift quarters in an empty space at the back of Otto Frank's company building, which they referred to as the Secret Annex. While the Frank family was hiding Anne was constantly writing in her diary. Sometimes she wrote all of her melancholy thoughts in her diary. On February 3, 1944 she wrote, “I've reached the point where I hardly care whether I live or die. The world will keep on turning without me, and I can't do anything to change events anyway." After two years of hiding, the Frank family finally got busted. A German secret police officer accompanied by four Nazis stormed into the secret annex and arrested everyone hiding there. They had been betrayed by an anonymous tip, the identity of the betrayer still remains unknown. They were taken to Camp Westerbork, a concentration camp in the northeastern Netherlands, on August 8, 1944. They were transferred to Auschwitz death camp in Poland on September 3, 1944. Upon arriving at Auschwitz, the men and women were separated. Otto Frank would never see his wife or daughters again. At Auschwitz, Anne and Margot had the task of hauling heavy stones and grass mats. After several months of this heavy workload, Anne and Margot were transferred again to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. At Bergen-Belsen, food was scarce, sanitation was awful and disease ran rampant. A few months after getting to Bergen-Belsen Anne and her sister got typhus. Anne died sometime in March 1945. Less then a month later the camp was liberated by British soldiers. Anne was one of the most inspiring young women of the twentieth century. She demonstrated perseverance by pushing through the challenging situations she faced. Anne was optimistic by being positive despite the horrific experiences she went through. Finally, she was brave by not being frightened by everything that could happen. Anne Frank will forever be remembered for her leadership for generations to come.

The Life of Anne Frank

Anne Frank is a normal kid that’s a Jew. She has a normal life until it’s turned upside down because of the Holocaust. She goes into hiding, but that’s not enough. Anne writes in a diary to express her feelings. Two years into hiding, Anne gets caught. 

Did she get caught because of sabotage or by a coincidence?  Anne and her family were caught by sabotage! Anne and her family were taken to the awful concentration camps and the only one to survive in her family was her dad.

This is the real story of how Anne Frank’s life was during the Holocaust.

Anne was born in Frankfurt, Germany on June 12, 1929. Anne was a Jew and it wasn’t going so well for the Jews at the time. When it was time for Anne to go to school, she had many friends, but she had to move to Amsterdam for her father’s business. Anne attended Amsterdam's Sixth Montessori School when they moved. Her teachers thought that she was very bright and inquisitive. Her family was Otto, Edith, and Margot Frank.

They were a normal family of Jews with perfect and happy lives until...The German Armies invaded Poland on May 10, 1940. Anne was forced to go to a segregated Jewish school with only Jews in them and the Germans came up with these terrible laws that were unfair. Anne said,” This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”  Two years later, Anne receives a diary for her thirteenth birthday. Anne loves writing in her diary. Anne said,” I want to write, but more than that, I want to bring out all the things that lie buried deep in my heart.”

A little after Anne’s birthday, the Germans get worse and the Frank family go into hiding. “The first thing I put in was this diary, hair curlers, handkerchiefs, schoolbooks, a comb, and old letters,” Anne writes when they pack up to go into hiding. They find a secret annex inside her father’s store until they were caught two years later because someone sabotaged them. They were sent to concentration camps. Anne’s mom doesn’t make it and dies of starvation.

A few months later, Anne and her sister are moved to another concentration camp called Bergen-Belsen on October 30. “ Nice people, the Germans! To think that I was one of them, too!No, Hitler took away nationality long ago. In fact, Germans and Jews are one of the greatest enemies in the world.” It got really cold and Anne and Margot caught epidemic typhus. Margot died on March 9, 1945 at 19 years old. Anne died on March 12, 1945 at 15 years old.

After the Holocaust is over, Otto, their father, comes home and sees that all his family has died. Otto receives Anne’s diary and knew that Anne wanted her diary to be published one day. Otto was very surprised at how good Anne was at writing and decides to rewrite it and publish it. Otto died in Basel, Switzerland on August 19, 1980.

Victor Rona, The Sad, Sad Life

Victor Rona, The Sad, Sad Life

  Victor Rona was born on December 26, 1928 in Satu-Mare. He lived there with his parents and his older brother, Erwin. His father’s name was Alexander Samuel Rona, who attended the University in Budapest. Alexander, Victor’s father, made a living by being a professor in the State Commercial College in Satu-Mare. Victor’s mother, Magdalena, worked for Jewish communal activities. Anne’s and Victor’s life were very similar because they both have one dad and one mom and they both had a brother or sister. I know this because the text states,”Where he lived with his parents and his older brother, Erwin.”

  Jews comprised 20% of the population in Satu-Mare.They took an active role in the development of commerce and industry in the city, and were found in almost all professions. When Hungary annexed Satu-Mare in 1940, it passed anti semitic measures barring Jews from various professions. Victor’s father lost his job, but became director of the Jewish high school, which was founded in 1941. Life for the Jews in Hungary was difficult, but most did not see their lives threatened.

  As a high school student, Victor excelled in language just like Anne Frank. Victor also, was very good at sports and music. He won a medal in a fencing competition against a team that was non-Jewish, despite the anti semitic attitude of the period. He took music lessons, and he spent hours on his stamp collection. He was also active in several youth Jewish organizations, where he was very well liked and had lots of friends.

  In March 1944, Germany invaded Hungary. Two months later, the Jews of Satu-Mare were suddenly forced by the Germans to live in a ghetto. Deportations to death camps came almost immediately. Victor and his family were deported on May 30, 1944. Victor was only 15 years old and strong and healthy, so he was chosen for forced labor instead of immediate death. From June 1944 to April 1945, he was sent to four different slave labor camps in Germany. Somehow, he survived all four death camps, but he was liberated in April 1945. Five days later, he died of a bayonet wound in his left arm. He was sixteen years old when he died.

  Victor and I were somewhat alike and somewhat different because he was Jewish and I am American. He liked to play sports and I like to play sports. I know he liked to play sports because the text states,”Victor excelled in literature, music, and sports.” Anne and Victor were alike too because they both died at the same age. I know they died at the same age because the text states,”Victor was 16 years old when he died.” Victor was one of the 1.5 million Jewish children that was murdered by the Germans.

The Children of the Holocaust

The Children of the Holocaust

by: Grace Eskew

There are a ton of differences between children living in America today and children that were born in 1937, in Germany like Liane Krochmal. Most people think of Anne Frank when they think about children of the holocaust, but you need to know that there were also 1.5 million other children killed. They were worried about living through the day in concentration camps while you and I are worried about finishing a simple school assignment. I will be telling you all about Liane Krochmal’s life, how she was like and dislike Anne, and how Liane’s differences with children today.

Liane Krochmal was born on July 25, 1937. She was the daughter of Jacob and Amalie Krochmal. She only had one sister named Vienna. Seeing no hope under the Nazis, the Krochmal family fled to France. From France they hoped to eventually receive permission to enter the United States. Liane had an uncle living in New York who was willing to guarantee the support of the entire family. Sadly, they never received permission to go the United States. Also, her eleven year old brother and both her parents got arrested by the French police and handed over to the Germans. Soon after, they were transported to concentration camps and murdered. Liane died at the age of seven.

As stated earlier, most people think of Anne Frank when they think of children of the holocaust. Although she was very important, all children of the holocaust deserve to be remembered. An article named, Children During the Holocaust” states, ”The Germans and their collaborators killed as many as 1.5 million children.” This mass murder of Jewish people and children was a terrible time in history. All in all, children including Liane Krochmal and Anne Frank should be looked back on for the their rough lives by everyone.

Liane Krochmal and all Jewish children live very different lives than you and I.Their school lives were different than ours because they usually had to sit by themselves in tight quarters. Also,the children were most likely worried sick that the Nazis were going to come and take their family away from them, that is very different from us because we don’t have to worry about that today. In the article “Hidden Children: Hardships” it states,”Among the most painful memories for hidden children was their separation from parents, grandparents, and siblings. For a variety of reasons—the lack of space, the inability or unwillingness of a rescuer to take in an entire family, or the decision of the parents not to abandon other family members in the ghetto—many Jewish children went into hiding alone.” This quote shows the hardships that all children of the holocaust.

All in all, after reading my essay, I hope you know to remember all children of the holocaust. Stephen Ambrose said, “ The holocaust was the worst crime ever committed.”

I believe this is very true, and believe everyone including adults and children should be remembered.

The Story of Lilly Klein

Have you ever thought about what it would be like if you were captured and taken away by The Nazis? Lilly Klein has lived through that situation. She had to go through the hard times without any food or water for possibly weeks. Could you? This is the story of Lilly Klein.

   Lilly Klein was older than me, and I am only eleven. The Children of the Holocaust website stated, “ Lilly, the daughter of Sara and Sandor Klein, lived with her mother and seven siblings, in the city of Debrecen, Hungary.” That right there basically told us that she lived a normal life. A house, maybe with an attic or basement, or even a simple one level house. Basically the normal life.  Just like you. Hungary was an ally of Germany at the time, when it got around to be, “1943, the Hungarian government realized that their German all was losing the war.” So to try to save their country they tried to back out, but it backfired. Germany ended up taking over their country. Lilly was seventeen when this happened.

   “ Lilly and her family were rounded up and herded into a sealed-off Ghetto where they were kept for two months.” THey were okay there, but they started sending them off to different camps. Lilly all alone was put on a train to go to an Auschwitz death camp. Thankfully she never made it there. The train had gotten stopped because the tracks had been ruined so they could go no further. The train instead was put on the route to the Strasshoff concentration camp in Australia.

     When Lilly got there she was then forced to do forced labor. When you are in forced labor it was normally where they just tried to just work you to death. She was worked to the point of total exhaustion. She rarely got food or water. Get this if they were to ill or elderly to work they were murdered in a gas chamber. When the camp was liberated in April 1945, Eighteen year old Lilly was barely alive.

     In conclusion, she was a strong person she of not many made it out alive.  I personally think that if I had been through this I would have not made it out alive. We need to remember her in all the ways our little tiny brain can process. We need to remember all of them. They are special as are we. My one true question is, “ Could you make it?”

The Story of Naomi Posinova

The Story of Naomi Posinova

Naomi Posinova was an innocent child who thought of the world as good until her whole entire life turned upside down… This is the story of Naomi.

    Naomi Posinova. The only thing people didn’t like about her was that she was Jewish. The text states in the article, “Children of the Holocaust”, “Naomi and her family were deported to the Theresienstadt ghetto in Czechoslovakia.” The text also states, “After she went there she managed to keep learning just like she was before she left.” Again the text states, “In late 1944 or early 1945, Naomi and her parents were “selected” for transport to Auschwitz. Soon after their arrival, Naomi and her mother were murdered in the gas chambers. Naomi was only 12.”

    Naomi and Anne Frank had so many similarities here are some of them. They both were the youngest (even though Naomi was the only child). They both went through hard times and hid their feelings when they were both so young. Anne states in the novel, A Diary of a Young Girl, “I want to bring out all kinds of things that lie buried deep in my heart”. They both seemed so quiet but energized at the same time as they felt sad, (But that is only what i think). They both were put in a concentration camp. One sad thing they had in common is they both died right before the Holocaust was over.

     Naomi and I have so many differences. Naomi lived in Auschwitz, and I live in Georgia. She got deported to the ghetto, although I didn’t. She got transported to a concentration camp which was very sad because she was only twelve. She also died in a gas chamber. And that is the saddest thing to hear.

     In conclusion, Naomi and many other children died for no reason. Naomi and any other child who died during the Holocaust could have done so much for the future and on. Over 1.5 million children died and they should be rewarded for living, and demonstrating courage, despite the obstacles. Through honoring the life of Naomi, I hope that we all can learn not to take life for granted, and do onto others what you would have them do unto you. Let’s all live by the golden rule.

         

Hatred Against Difference

Hatred Against Difference

Naomi Posinova was a young, bright young girl. When you think of the Holocaust, you may think of Anne Frank, but Anne isn’t the only one who died during this time. She was a victim of the Holocaust. So therefore, I will be discussing how hard her life was, but how she was able to make the best of it. In my first paragraph, I will be talking to you about how her early life was like as a child and also how the other Jew’s life was, in my second paragraph, I am going to talk about how they took her to the concentration camp and the ghetto, and in my third paragraph, I will be sharing how she died.

Naomi Posinova was born on January 4, 1932 to Rachel and Max Posinova. She was an only child. She lived in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Her father was a hat-maker and he mother was a housewife. Once the Nazi’s took over Prague, Jews were banned from their professions, the Nazi’s confiscated their personal property, and thye were prohibited from participating in any religious or cultural activity. I know this because on http://www.graceproducts.com/fmnc/pnaomi.htm , it states,” Jews were banned from mainly everything including: confiscation of personal property, prohibition of any religious, cultural, or any sort of public activity, and they were banned from their professions.” This means, the Jews were banned from all sorts of things. In, The Diary Of A Young Girl, Anne writes, “All Jews must wear a yellow star, they have to turn in bicycles and any type of transportation, Jews are forbidden to drive and banned from any public transportation. “ This means all of the Jews are forbidden to mainly everything and they had to walk instead of driving or going on any sort of public transportation.

Naomi and her parents were sent to the Theresienstadt ghetto in Czechoslovakia. There, her father worked as a cap maker and her mother worked in a children’s home. I know this because on http://www.graceproducts.com/fmnc/pnaomi.htm , it states,”When they arrived at the ghetto, her father worked as a cap-maker. Her mother worked in a children’s home.” Any children over ten had to work, but somehow, Naomi was still able to continue her education. Conditions in the ghetto were horrible. There was overcrowding, lack of good nutrition, and limited sanitary facilities. I know this because on http://www.graceproducts.com/fmnc/pnaomi.htm , it states,” Conditions were terrible. They had overcrowding, lack of adequate nutrition, and limited primitive sanitary facilities.” This means that the Jews that were sent to these camps were facing horrible conditions. Also, typhus was spreading very quickly and infested the camp. There were daily “selections,” and those chosen were transported to death camps.

In 1944, Naomi and her parents were “selected” for transport to Auschwitz. I know this because on http://www.graceproducts.com/fmnc/pnaomi.htm , it states,” They were selected for transport for the death camp, Auschwitz in 1944.” This means they were selected to go to the death camp. Soon after their arrival, Naomi and her mother were murdered in the gas chambers. Naomi was only twelve years old. I know this because on http://www.graceproducts.com/fmnc/pnaomi.htm , it states,” Naomi was only twelve years old when she was murdered in the gas chamber with her mother.” This means, Naomi died in the gas chamber with her mom. It is very sad to know that young children went through this tough time. Anne once wrote,”The weak fall, but the strong never go under.” This is a very inspirational quote by Anne Frank, because she still has hope although she is a Jew and she knows what is going on.

In conclusion, Naomi Posinova was a strong, intelligent young girl. I find it very sad to know what had happened to her. The Jews were treated unfairly and they deserved better. A famous quote states,”Remember the past to build the future.” This means take what is in the past and make it better. This time was a very rough and sad time.

One Jew, One Law Broken, One Death

One Jew, One Law Broken, One Death

When someone thinks of the children in the Holocaust, they most likely think of Anne Frank. However, what they may not realize is 1.5 million other kids died in the Holocaust too.  Ulrich Wolfgang Arnheim was one of the 1.5 million who died horrifically because of Nazis genocide actions. Today, I will discuss Arnheim’s life, compare his life to my own life, and discuss how we can all learn from his experiences.

Dr. Fritz A. and Milli Arnheim gave birth to Ulrich Wolfgang Arnheim November 2, 1927 in Berlin, Germany. Ulrich was a good-natured, sensitive and clever child. He studied English at school and was well liked by his classmates. Ulrich was six years old when the Nazis came to power. The Arnheim family tried to get out of Berlin, but they didn’t make it. They were hopelessly trapped after October 1941. At that time, the Germans began deporting Jews to sealed, hunger  and disease-ridden ghettos in eastern Europe. In the poem The Butterfly it says,”Butterflies don’t live in here, in the ghetto.”I can imagine that was how Ulrich felt. After September 1942, they began deporting German Jews directly to death camps. Ulrich and his parents were murdered in the Auschwitz death camp less than a year later.  In Children During The Holocaust it says,”In the ghettos, Jewish children died from starvation, exposure, and lack of adequate clothing or shelter.”This leads me to think that Ulrich probably died because he was already tired from the ghettos.

I was born on June 8, 2004 in Birmingham, Alabama. My parents are Kenneth and Amy Poole. My dad is an engineer and my mom is a occupational therapist. My life has been  pretty easy-going unlike Ulrich. When Ulrich was eight years old, the Nazis came into power and immediately started to make laws against Jews. At the age of eight, I moved to a new state and began making new friends. Ulrich was only thirteen when he was sent to a ghetto. Two years later he died. I could never imagine suffering so much at such a young age. I am so blessed to live in America, land of the free.

There are many things we can learn from Ulrich and the Holocaust. One main point is it is not right to kill people for racial reasons. The whole reason Hitler killed the Jews was because of his personal prejudices. He wanted to take over the world. His desire was for everyone to be German because he thought that Germans were the perfect race. It says in Children During The Holocaust,”The Nazis killed the “unwanted” or “dangerous” groups either as part of the “racial struggle” or as a measure of preventative security.” This confirms he killed the Jews simply for not being like the German race.

Sixty to seventy-five percent of Jews died in the holocaust. Ulrich Wolfgang Arnheim along with many others died a death they should not have died. They tried to stay alive to the best of their abilities but the Nazis cruelty overtook them. We are so blessed to live in America, a free country. I will forever remember you, Ulrich.

The Sad Life of Cary Krell

Who was Cary Krell? Cary Krell was born on January 27, 1936 in Vienna, Austria. Cary Krell was one of 1.5 million children that died during the Holocaust. In the article, “Children During the Holocaust,” it states,”The Germans and their collaborators killed as many as 1.5 million children.” Krell was the daughter of Diana and Willi Krell. Her father was a manager at a knitting factory and was offered a job as a bookkeeper in Poland where her parents were born. After that, Germany invades Poland and things got bad. Cary and her family were caught and sent to concentration camps. Cary died in the concen- tration camps on January 6, 1945.

This is the life of Cary Krell and how she died.

Cary was only five and a half years old when the Germans invaded Poland and that’s when things got bad. Jewish laws were formed and Jews were segregated from other Germans. In the book, The Diary of a Young Girl, it states,”Jews must wear a yellow star. Jews must hand in their bikes and are banned from riding trams and are forbidden to drive.” Jews were treated very poorly and had unfair laws. Jews started to have to work for the Germans and Cary’s dad was forced to be a Jewish administrator. A few years later, in the summer of 1944,Cary and her parents were the only Jews left in town. They were found and put in the lonely and horrible concentration camps. Concentration camps were where Jews were sent because of their religion and they were killed. Jews at concentration camps started out killing people by shooting and burying them, but they started gassing them in gas chambers and burning them. The Krell family was sent to the Plaszow concentration camp.
On October 15, 1944, Cary and her parents were shipped to the Gross-Rosen concentration camp. From there, her mother was sent to Auschwitz and was immediately killed. Cary’s father smuggled her and dressed her up as a boy so that he could keep an eye on her. One day, a boy found out she was a girl and told on them, so Cary was separated from her father. They had stopped the gassings in Auschwitz, but it was dead winter. There was little food, and there was a disease spreading. The disease was typhus and it was deadly. Many died because of typhus. Will Cray survive or will she die like the rest? Cary was weakened by hunger and dehydration. The text states,” There was little food, and horrend- ous sanitary conditions spread disease everywhere.” Cary caught the awful disease typhus. Cary died of typhus on January 6, 1945. It was a few weeks before the concentration camps were liberated Cary was 8, about to turn 9 when she died. These are some sites I used to help me with this paper. http://www.graceproducts.com/fmnc/kcary.htm http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005142 http://www.answers.com/Q/How_did_Cary_Krell_die_during_the_Holocaust

Eva Beem

                                                             Eva Beem

                                                     By Brooklyn Roner

      Eva Beem was a bright young girl who lived and died during the Holocaust. She was eleven years old when she died with her older brother, Abraham. In the article, ”Children During The Holocaust” the text states,”The Germans and their collaborators killed as many as 1.5 million children through these ways:Children killed when they arrived in killing centers;children killed immediately after birth or in institutions;children born in ghettos and camps who survived because prisoners hid them;children,usually children over 12,who were used as laborers and as subjects of medical experiments;children killed during reprisal operations or so-called anti-partisan operations.” This shows the many ways that children died including Eva Beem, Anne Frank and many other Jewish children. Eva Beem was born on May 21,1932 in Leeuwarden, Holland. Eva’s parents’ names were Hartog and Rosette Beem. Eva Beem was eight years old when she first went into hiding in fear of the Nazis killing her. Her brother, Abraham Beem, was also in hiding with her. Her parents had the idea of her going into hiding and posing as a Non-Jew in a rural village. The problem was that the Nazis found out about most of the children hiding through people who were given money for telling them about the Jewish children. When Eva was eleven she was denounced as a Jew in February of 1944. Eva and Abraham were departed to a concentration camp and were immediately murdered. Eva Beem and Anne Frank are alike in many ways. Anne lived during the Holocaust and so did Eva.They are both at the age of attending school. Eva went into hiding as a Non-Jew and Anne was in hiding so that nobody would find her, but they both went into hiding. Soon afterward, they both were found. They both died at concentration camps, but in different ways. Anne died of a disease and Eva died of murder at her concentration camp. Eva Beem is like me in a ton of ways. Eva was eleven and I am now eleven. We both went and go to school. Eva doesn’t have a pet and I don’t either. We both were born in May. Not the exact date but we are pretty close. She had a brother and I have a brother. Our parents both worry about their kids, and that is how Eva and I are alike. The lesson that comes out of this is that many children died and they are normal, innocent children that couldn’t live the normal life they would have dreamed about. We should be thankful for what we have and that all children who died during the Holocaust should be honored and loved. Eva, Abraham, and Anne are all examples of children who died and that should be honored.

A Girl With The Odds Stacked Against Her

                                   

                 Eva Beem, a child of the Holocaust. When you think of the Holocaust, you think of Anne Frank, but there are so many more kids we need to acknowledge. One of them is Eva Beem.  She was a little child that was a victim of the Holocaust. Therefore, I will discuss the life of this little girl who went through so much. In my first paragraph, I will discuss  the early life of Eva Beem. The second paragraph, I will share about her time in hiding. In the third paragraph, I will discuss her life in a concentration camp and how she died. Anne Frank once said,” Despite everything, I believe that people are good at heart.”  These children were hurt and through so much, but still people forgave them.

              To begin with, we need to start at the beginning. Eva Beem was born May 21, 1932. She was born in Leeuwarden, Holland.  Eva was the daughter of Hartog and Rosette Beem. She had a younger brother, whose name is, Abraham Beem.  Eva was Jewish and, sadly, killed for her beliefs.  Germans invaded Holland when Eva was eight and her family would soon have to go into hiding.  Corrie ten Boom once stated,” Never be afraid to trust an unknown future.” That is what Eva had to do because she would not know the whole future of her life but she had to trust it.

           When the German’s invaded, the Beem family decided it was time to go into hiding. So they did. Their hiding place was in Amsterdam and it was really tiny. Life changed dramatically for the Beem family. Eva and her brother could no longer go to school and her parents worked for little money, but they had to do what was safe.  Her family lived in the ghetto and it was horrible. She was forced to wear a Star of David, her family was always starving, and it was really cold.  In 1942, Germans invaded the ghetto and her family was captured. She was only ten years of age and was separated from her parents.  She went to a labor camp and her parents were killed at a death camp. Anne Frank once said,” Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.” Even though Eva was going to a concentration camp and her parents were sure to die, she still needed to keep her head held high.

             At the labor camp, Eva had to cut her hair and had to wear the same clothes as everyone. She was given little food and had to work hard every day. A person once said,” There is nothing that compares to the Holocaust.” That’s the truest statement ever said.  The Holocaust was horrible. The Germans were so cruel to the Jews, with no exception to Eva. They thought that Jews were evil, but they weren’t.  After working in the labor camp, she was sent to a death camp in Germany.  She worked there but was too weak. So the Germans sent her to the gas chambers to be killed. She was one of the 1.5 million kids that died in the Holocaust.

            In conclusion, Eva Beem was an innocent child who died in the Holocaust. There is a famous quote that states,” Remember the past to build the future.” The Holocaust was such a terrible time in history, but in order to learn from our mistakes we have to mess up. The Holocaust was a total mess up, but we learned to never do it again.  No person deserved to die in the Holocaust, especially, Eva Beem.

Five Years to Live

During World War II, Adolf Hitler, leader of the Nazi party, was taking Jews from their home and sending them to concentration camps. This was called the Holocaust. Concentration camps are pretty much death camps. All that you d there is work pretty much until you die. Hitler would only take Jews from their home and send them to concentration camps. Anne Frank was a young girl with big dreams and thoughts that she wanted to put into writing. In the book, The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne states on page two, ”I want to bring out all the thoughts and feelings buried deep within my soul.” This shows that Anne has thoughts within her soul because expressed freely in this book. Anne was taken by Nazis and sent to a concentration camp, because she was Jewish. Sadly, her father, Otto Frank, was the only Frank family member who survived. Now, when you think of the Holocaust, do you only think of Anne Frank? Wrong. There were 1.5 million other children who were killed during the time of the Holocaust. Overall, there were 6 million people that were killed in the Holocaust. In the article,”The Children of Holocaust” it states,” The Germans killed as many as 1.5 million children.” This shows that there were many children killed during the Holocaust. One child named, Alfred Kristeller, was sent to a concentration camp with his parents. As soon as they stepped off the train that brought them to the concentration camp, they were sent to a gas chamber and immediately murdered. Alfred was only five years old. This makes me very sad. Alfred only lived for five years. Think about this, would you only want to live a life for five years or a long life for seventy-three years. Alfred didn’t have that choice, thanks to Adolf Hitler. In the poem,”The Butterfly,” the poet states,” I never saw another butterfly again.” Imagine you never seeing a butterfly again. That probably happened to Alfred, too. This writing is dedicated to the memory of all the children who died during the Holocaust, just like Alfred Kristeller or Anne Frank. In conclusion, let’s continue to honor their memory by informing others that there were more children that died during the Holocaust than they might think.

The Children of the Holocaust

A Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank resonates with many as a heroic tale of a young girl growing up, who never knew that millions of people would one day read and study her most intimate thoughts. She states in her novel, A Diary of a Young Girl, "I don't intend to show this cardboard-covered notebook, bearing the proud name of "diary" to anyone, unless I find a real friend, boy or girl, probably nobody cares." The funny part is we do care, Anne. We care so much for you and all the other young lives that were taken tragically during the Holocaust. In some ways, it seems so long ago, but it happened less than eighty years ago, just a few of generations ago, but still within reach. 

In honor of Anne's tragic loss of life along with over 1.5 million other children, my students are researching one special child, outside of the Frank family, who also lost his life. The purpose is to understand the full scope of this tragedy, the frailty of human life, and a deeper understanding of why the novel is a precious gift to us all. 

My students and I will write and research in order to remember, in order to understand, and also to ensure that we treat each other with dignity, kindness, and empathy. We were all brought into this world with a purpose, and it is up to us to ensure that we can live out that purpose without fear of prejudice, hate, or worry. 

I look forward to reading all of my students' work, as we remember the children of the Holocaust.