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Philosophy of life, Margot Frank

Margot Frank attended synagogue, had Jewish classes and was a member of a Zionist youth club.

Subject

Otto Frank said of Margot: "Mr. Dussel had a rather orthodox education, whereas my wife was progressive and had a deep religious feeling. Margot followed more or less my wife."[1] Furthermore, a letter has been preserved in which Otto wrote that Margot always participated in the Kinderfreudenfest celebrated in the synagogue, both in Germany and in the Netherlands.[2]

Hanneli Goslar said the following in an interview: "Margot went to the synagogue. [...] and then I found Mr Frank and Anne, and they made food for Margot and their mother who fasted in the synagogue. (...) The Frank family was also split. Anne and Mr Frank, Margot and Mrs Frank."[3]

Margot went with her classmate Barbara Ledermann and others to Jewish classes taught by Rabbi Mehler.[4] At these she was taught Hebrew and Jewish history.[5] Margot also attended the liberal synagogue on Tolstraat with her family.[6] She was also a member of the Zionist youth association Maccabi Hatzair around 1940-'41. There are two photos, taken during bicycle trips of this club, showing Margot.[7]

Anne writes in her diary that Margot wanted to become a maternity nurse in Palestine.[8] She also writes that Margot preferred to read books on religion and medicine.[9]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Anne Frank-Fonds (AFF), Bazel, Hacketts Korrespondenz 1954-1960, doos 51: Meyer Levin Div. (S. Mermin), Play: Otto Frank aan Frances Goodrich en Albert Hackett, 6 februari 1954.
  2. ^ Anne Frank Stichting (AFS), Anne Frank Collectie (AFC), Otto Frank Archief (OFA), reg. code OFA_072: Otto Frank aan Alice Frank-Stern, 30 september 1945. De betekenis van het Kinderfreudenfest is vooralsnog onbekend.
  3. ^ Hanneli Goslar in: Het Klokhuis: Anne Frank (uitgezonden door de NOS op 30 en 31 oktober 2005).
  4. ^ AFS, Getuigenarchief, Rodbell-Ledermann: Interview met Barbara Rodbell-Ledermann door Wouter van der Sluis, 10 november 1993.
  5. ^ Familiearchief AFF, Alice Frank-Stern, AFF_AlF_corr 18: Brieven van Anne aan grootmoeder en familie in Bazel (Zwitserland), november 1940 en 22 maart 1941. Rabbijn Mehler was overtuigd zionist.
  6. ^ AFS, Getuigenarchief, Collem, Martha van en Wiener, Ruth. 
  7. ^ AFS, AFC, reg. code A_MFrank_III_049 en A_MFrank_III_050. De foto's zijn afkomstig van Renée Düring-Stern. Volgens haar was het vooral een sociale kwestie. Er werd niet over zionisme gesproken. Haar zuster Ellen Düring staat ook op de foto's.
  8. ^ Anne Frank, Diary Version A, 8 May 1944, in: The Collected Works, transl. from the Dutch by Susan Massotty, London [etc]: Bloomsbury Continuum, 2019.
  9. ^ Anne Frank, Diar Version A, 16 May 1944, in: The Collected Works.