Jetteke Frijda

Jetta (Jetteke) Sandra Frijda was born on 1 December 1925 in Amsterdam as the second child of the Jewish couple Herman Frijda (1887-1944) and Dora Frank (1901-1997).^[1] She had an older brother Leo (1923-1943) and a younger brother Nico (1927-2015).^[2]  The family lived at Corellistraat 3 in Amsterdam.^[1]

After primary school, the Open Air School in Cliostraat, Jetteke went to the Municipal Lyceum for Girls at Reijnier Vinkeleskade 62 after the summer of 1938.^[3] She was a classmate of Margot Frank, with whom she became good friends.^[4]

After anti-Jewish measures prohibited Jewish students from attending public schools in 1941, Jetteke, like Margot, went to the Jewish Lyceum. They also received math and physics tutoring together during the holidays because they were behind due to the change of school.^[5] They also rowed together in the same boat.^[4]

Around 1941, Margot wrote in Jetteke's friendship book.^[6]

On 6 July 1942, the Frank family went into hiding. Jetteke recalled in an interview:

'One day Margot Frank was suddenly gone. I then went to their home on Merwedeplein. I wanted to know what exactly was going on and take a look. Rumour had it that the Frank family had fled to Switzerland. I don't remember who told me that, maybe the neighbour. The door was ajar. All the stuff was still there. I was alone in her room, looked around and took a book off the shelf to remember her by. I chose a book with Dutch poets because we were both interested in literature. I quickly left again, because what I did was dangerous.'^[4]

Not long afterwards, in August 1942, Jetteke herself also went into hiding. She ended up hiding at various addresses throughout the war. Including on the Veluwe in a children's home, in Zeist and in Amsterdam.^[4]

On 1 October 1943, her brother Leo was shot after the resistance group CS-6, of which he was a member, was rolled up.^[7]

Almost a year later on 19 July 1944, Jetteke's father was arrested at his hiding place in Leeuwarden.^[8] On 26 August 1944, he arrived in Westerbork and, like the eight people from the Secret Annex, he was deported to Auschwitz concentration camp.^[9] He was probably gassed there on 3 October 1944.^[10]

After the war, Otto Frank visited Jetteke at her work in the Public Library in The Hague. She recalled that he had met her father in Auschwitz. He also talked about the death of his wife and children.^[4]

Regular contact remained between Jetteke and Otto Frank. Jetteke remembered a conversation with him after the diary was published in which she said to him: 'I think it's wonderful what you do for Anne, but I think it's too bad that it's not more about Margot. She is also worthy of being mentioned.’^[4]

Jetteke died on 7 December 2016 at the age of 91.^[11]