Anne Frank's Sister Had A Secret Diary You Probably Didn't Know About
Anne Frank, with her father, mother, and sister, hid from the Nazis for two years in part of her father's warehouse. The Jewish family left Germany in the darkening 1930s and settled in the Netherlands, which was subsequently invaded in 1941 (via Britannica). The "secret annex" where the Franks stowed away was a sizable part of the warehouse in almost its own building. It could be seen from the street, but only accessed through a revolving bookcase inside (via AnneFrank.org).
The 13-year-old Anne kept a diary of her daily activities, alongside thoughts, fears, and dreams. She was an exceptional writer and thinker for someone so young. "In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart," she wrote. "I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again..." (via Goodreads). Anne has deservedly received much attention for her writings. Her sister's own writings, unfortunately, has been overlooked.
The Story of Margot
Margot Frank was three years older than Anne. She excelled in school and quickly picked up Dutch after the family immigrated (via AnneFrank.org). Not much survives of her writings, but at age 14, two weeks before Germany invaded the Netherlands, Margot wrote to a pen pal in the United States: "We often listen to the radio, for these are stressful times. We never feel safe, because we border directly on Germany and we are only a small country."
The Nazis' crackdown on Dutch Jews forced Margot out of her school and participating in sports that she enjoyed like rowing. When she was informed she would be conscripted into a labor camp, the Frank family went into hiding. Margot shared a room first with Anne and then with her parents. Anne described her as "brilliant" and "brainy." According to Study.com, Margot studied European literature, a variety of foreign languages, higher level mathematics, and science. Anne mentions in her writings that Margot also kept a diary during their time in the secret annex.
The Lost Diary
According to Moment Magazine, Margot Frank's diary was lost during the war. It may have been seized and destroyed when the Nazis found the Frank family, but we do not know for certain. Had it been preserved and should ever be discovered, Margot may have become just as renowned as Anne Frank. They would have been the two sisters who wrote of their time hiding from Hitler together. Their father, Otto, was the only one of the Frank family to survive the concentration camps that they were shipped to. He later expressed that Margot was just as worthy of attention and that he would have expected fame from her with all her brilliance and passion.
However, Margot wrote letters to Anne during their confined years that have survived. When another Jewish family, the Van Pels, joined them in the secret annex, Anne developed feelings for their son, Peter. Needing to clarify that she wasn't also interested in Peter, Margot wrote, "I'm not jealous of either you or Peter. I'm just sorry I haven't found anyone with whom to share my thoughts and feelings, and I'm not likely to in the near future. But that's why I wish, from the bottom of my heart, that you will both be able to place your trust in each other..." (via Times of Israel). In a following letter she wrote that she desired a partner who would understand her "through and through," and "for this reason it would have to be someone I felt was intellectually superior to me and that isn't the case with Peter."