Re: The Diary of a Young Girl
Posted: 18 Aug 2015 11:46
Sunday, 27 September 1942
Mother and I had a `discussion' today, but I burst into tears. I can't help it.
Daddy is always nice to me, and he understands me much better. I feel
that Mother and I are like strangers to each other.
Mrs van Daan is in a bad mood, and is locking all her things up. She
thinks that I am spoilt, and always says, `If Anne was my daughter ...' I'm
glad that I'm not!
Tuesday, 29 September 1942
Try to imagine this. We haven't got a bathroom, so we all take our
water away to wash in different places! Peter goes in the office kitchen,
which has a glass door. Mr van Daan carries his hot water upstairs so
that he can be private. Mrs van Daan hasn't had a bath yet — she can't
decide which is the best place for it! Father goes into the private office
and Mother into the kitchen. Margot and I share the front office. We
close the curtains and wash ourselves there in the dark!
On Wednesday someone was doing repairs in the office downstairs.
We couldn't use the toilet or use water all day. Father and I found a
suitable pot which we could all use as a toilet! We had to sit still all day
and not say a word! That was the most difficult thing for me.
Thursday, 1 October 1942
Yesterday I was very frightened. At eight o'clock the doorbell suddenly
rang. I thought that the Germans were coming to get us. But everybody
said that someone only rang for a joke, or that maybe it was the
postman, and I felt calm again.
Peter can be very funny sometimes. We both like to dress up in silly
clothes. One evening, he put on one of his mother's tight dresses, and I
wore his suit! Everyone laughed so much!
Miep bought new skirts for Margot and me at The
Bijenkorf.*1
They look like potato bags!
Friday, 9 October 1942
The news is very bad today. The Germans are taking away many of our
Jewish friends. They are sent to concentration camps at Westerbork, or
even further away. We think many of them are murdered there. I feel
terrible. The English radio says that the Germans are killing them with
gas. Perhaps that's the quickest way to die. Perhaps you don't suffer so
much that way.
1
* A large shop in the centre of Amsterdam.
Tuesday, 20 October 1942
My hand is still shaking as I write this. Two hours ago we heard an
awful noise at our bookcase door. The knocking didn't stop, and
someone was pushing and pulling at the door. Perhaps they had come
to arrest us! We were white with fear! But at last we heard Mr Kleiman's
voice. `Open up, it's me!'The door was stuck, and he couldn't open it.
We had a good time on Monday. Miep and Jan spent the night with us.
We cooked specially for them, and the meal tasted wonderful.
Monday, 9 November 1942
Yesterday was Peter's sixteenth birthday. He had a game and a cigarette
lighter — he doesn't smoke much, but the lighter looks good!
There was a big surprise too. Mr van Daan heard that the English have
reached Tunis, Algiers, Casablanca and Oran. It is not the end of the war
yet, but perhaps we can hope for the end now. Perhaps it will soon be
history.
Well, what about food in the Annexe? A man brings bread every day, a
very nice friend of Mr Kleiman's. And we've stored a hundred tins of food
here. We can buy ration books on the black market,*2
and we've also
bought three hundred pounds of beans. We decided to move them to the
attic, and Peter was given the job. He succeeded in getting five sacks
upstairs, but the sixth sack burst, and a river of beans poured downstairs!
I was standing at the bottomof
the stairs. Peter couldn't stop laughing
when he saw me in a sea of brown beans. Unfortunately though, the
beans are very small and have disappeared into all the holes. Whenever
we go upstairs now, we look for a few more beans!
2
*When people buy and sell things unofficially, this is called the `black market'. The black
market usually works when food, clothes or other things are hard to rind and very expensive.
Johannes Kleiman next to the bookcase.
Tuesday, 10 November 1942
Great news! Another person is coming to live here. Eight is no more
difficult than seven, and it is so dangerous for Jews now. We have chosen
a dentist called Alfred Dussel. He seems to be nice. Miep knows him, and
she will help him to get here. He will have to sleep in my room though,
and Margot will have to move in with our parents. We'll ask him to fill the
holes in our teeth!
Tuesday, 17 November
1942
Mr Dussel has arrived.
Everything went
smoothly. He came to
the warehouse, and
Miep asked him to take
off his coat, so that no
one could see the yellow
star. Then she brought
him to the private office.
He still had no idea
where he was going, or what was going to happen! When she opened
our bookcase door, he was so surprised! He thought we had left the
country. We were waiting around the table, ready to welcome him with a
drink.
After lunch he slept for a short time, put away his things, and joined us
for tea. We gave him the list of rules for the Secret Annexe that the
van Dins had written.
GUIDE TO THE SECRET ANNEXE
For Jews and other people without homes
Open all year round: Near to the centre of Amsterdam, but in a quiet
street with trees.
Price: Free.
Food: Low fat.
Water: In the bathroom (sorry, no fixed bath) and also on some of the
walls.
Space for storing things: Plenty.
Private radio: For all guests after 6 p.m. But you must never listen to the
news on German radio stations, only music.
Rest hours: From 10 p.m. to 7.30 a.m.; 10.15 a.m. on Sundays. This is
for your safety. The Management may also ask you to rest at other times
too.
Use of language: Speak softly at all times, and not in German. Exercise:
Every day.
Lessons: Offered in English, French, and other subjects. Singing:
Only softly, and after 6 p.m.
Mealtimes: Breakfast 9 a.m. (11.30 a.m. on Sundays and holidays).
Lunch: A light meal from 1.15 p.m. to 1.45 p.m.
Dinner: Sometimes a hot meal, sometimes not. The time of dinner
changes because of radio news broadcasts. Bath: The moveable bath
can be used by all guests after 9 a.m. on Sundays. You may take your
bath in the bathroom, kitchen, private office or front office.
The end
Mother and I had a `discussion' today, but I burst into tears. I can't help it.
Daddy is always nice to me, and he understands me much better. I feel
that Mother and I are like strangers to each other.
Mrs van Daan is in a bad mood, and is locking all her things up. She
thinks that I am spoilt, and always says, `If Anne was my daughter ...' I'm
glad that I'm not!
Tuesday, 29 September 1942
Try to imagine this. We haven't got a bathroom, so we all take our
water away to wash in different places! Peter goes in the office kitchen,
which has a glass door. Mr van Daan carries his hot water upstairs so
that he can be private. Mrs van Daan hasn't had a bath yet — she can't
decide which is the best place for it! Father goes into the private office
and Mother into the kitchen. Margot and I share the front office. We
close the curtains and wash ourselves there in the dark!
On Wednesday someone was doing repairs in the office downstairs.
We couldn't use the toilet or use water all day. Father and I found a
suitable pot which we could all use as a toilet! We had to sit still all day
and not say a word! That was the most difficult thing for me.
Thursday, 1 October 1942
Yesterday I was very frightened. At eight o'clock the doorbell suddenly
rang. I thought that the Germans were coming to get us. But everybody
said that someone only rang for a joke, or that maybe it was the
postman, and I felt calm again.
Peter can be very funny sometimes. We both like to dress up in silly
clothes. One evening, he put on one of his mother's tight dresses, and I
wore his suit! Everyone laughed so much!
Miep bought new skirts for Margot and me at The
Bijenkorf.*1
They look like potato bags!
Friday, 9 October 1942
The news is very bad today. The Germans are taking away many of our
Jewish friends. They are sent to concentration camps at Westerbork, or
even further away. We think many of them are murdered there. I feel
terrible. The English radio says that the Germans are killing them with
gas. Perhaps that's the quickest way to die. Perhaps you don't suffer so
much that way.
1
* A large shop in the centre of Amsterdam.
Tuesday, 20 October 1942
My hand is still shaking as I write this. Two hours ago we heard an
awful noise at our bookcase door. The knocking didn't stop, and
someone was pushing and pulling at the door. Perhaps they had come
to arrest us! We were white with fear! But at last we heard Mr Kleiman's
voice. `Open up, it's me!'The door was stuck, and he couldn't open it.
We had a good time on Monday. Miep and Jan spent the night with us.
We cooked specially for them, and the meal tasted wonderful.
Monday, 9 November 1942
Yesterday was Peter's sixteenth birthday. He had a game and a cigarette
lighter — he doesn't smoke much, but the lighter looks good!
There was a big surprise too. Mr van Daan heard that the English have
reached Tunis, Algiers, Casablanca and Oran. It is not the end of the war
yet, but perhaps we can hope for the end now. Perhaps it will soon be
history.
Well, what about food in the Annexe? A man brings bread every day, a
very nice friend of Mr Kleiman's. And we've stored a hundred tins of food
here. We can buy ration books on the black market,*2
and we've also
bought three hundred pounds of beans. We decided to move them to the
attic, and Peter was given the job. He succeeded in getting five sacks
upstairs, but the sixth sack burst, and a river of beans poured downstairs!
I was standing at the bottomof
the stairs. Peter couldn't stop laughing
when he saw me in a sea of brown beans. Unfortunately though, the
beans are very small and have disappeared into all the holes. Whenever
we go upstairs now, we look for a few more beans!
2
*When people buy and sell things unofficially, this is called the `black market'. The black
market usually works when food, clothes or other things are hard to rind and very expensive.
Johannes Kleiman next to the bookcase.
Tuesday, 10 November 1942
Great news! Another person is coming to live here. Eight is no more
difficult than seven, and it is so dangerous for Jews now. We have chosen
a dentist called Alfred Dussel. He seems to be nice. Miep knows him, and
she will help him to get here. He will have to sleep in my room though,
and Margot will have to move in with our parents. We'll ask him to fill the
holes in our teeth!
Tuesday, 17 November
1942
Mr Dussel has arrived.
Everything went
smoothly. He came to
the warehouse, and
Miep asked him to take
off his coat, so that no
one could see the yellow
star. Then she brought
him to the private office.
He still had no idea
where he was going, or what was going to happen! When she opened
our bookcase door, he was so surprised! He thought we had left the
country. We were waiting around the table, ready to welcome him with a
drink.
After lunch he slept for a short time, put away his things, and joined us
for tea. We gave him the list of rules for the Secret Annexe that the
van Dins had written.
GUIDE TO THE SECRET ANNEXE
For Jews and other people without homes
Open all year round: Near to the centre of Amsterdam, but in a quiet
street with trees.
Price: Free.
Food: Low fat.
Water: In the bathroom (sorry, no fixed bath) and also on some of the
walls.
Space for storing things: Plenty.
Private radio: For all guests after 6 p.m. But you must never listen to the
news on German radio stations, only music.
Rest hours: From 10 p.m. to 7.30 a.m.; 10.15 a.m. on Sundays. This is
for your safety. The Management may also ask you to rest at other times
too.
Use of language: Speak softly at all times, and not in German. Exercise:
Every day.
Lessons: Offered in English, French, and other subjects. Singing:
Only softly, and after 6 p.m.
Mealtimes: Breakfast 9 a.m. (11.30 a.m. on Sundays and holidays).
Lunch: A light meal from 1.15 p.m. to 1.45 p.m.
Dinner: Sometimes a hot meal, sometimes not. The time of dinner
changes because of radio news broadcasts. Bath: The moveable bath
can be used by all guests after 9 a.m. on Sundays. You may take your
bath in the bathroom, kitchen, private office or front office.
The end