Anne Frank

Anne Frank's helper Miep Gies dies aged 100

Miep Gies, the last survivor of the group which hid Anne Frank and her family from the Nazis, has died aged 100. Mrs Gies was the first to discover 15-year-old Anne’s diary of her life in hiding for two years in Amsterdam. Anne died of typhus in concentration camp Bergen-Belsen, just two weeks before liberation. Miep Gies kept the diary safe until after the war, when she returned it to Anne’s father Otto Frank. She helped Otto publish the diary in 1947. It was eventually published in dozens of languages worldwide and sold, and continues to sell, millions of copies.

Lebanon school bans 'Zionist' Anne Frank

A Beirut school has removed a textbook containing excerpts of The Diary of Anne Frankfrom its syllabus after Hizbollah claimed it promotes Zionism. “The book focuses on the persecution of Jews during the war, but even more dangerous is the theatrical and dramatic method employed to narrate the diaries in an emotional way,” MP Hussein Hajj Hassan said on Hizbollah’s TV station, Al-Manar. “These respected, established schools are teaching the so-called tragedy this girl lived — how long will Lebanon remain an open arena for this Zionism?”

Asteroid named after Anne Frank rescuer

An asteroid has been named after the Dutch woman who hid Anne Frank’s family in Amsterdam and preserved her diary during the war. The International Astronomical Union has named the asteroid Miep Gies, who is the last surviving member of the group who helped the Frank family and their friends hide in a secret apartment for two years. Mrs Gies retrieved Anne Frank’s diary before the apartment was looted by the Nazis and saved it in her desk drawer for Anne's return.

Anne Frank's barracks destroyed by fire

Barracks at a Dutch work camp where Anne Frank was held before being taken to Auschwitz have been destroyed by a “suspicious” fire The cause of the fire at the wooden barracks at the Westerbork camp in Holland has not been determined. Anne Frank was detained in barrack 57 at the camp in 1944, but the buildings were sold in 1957 and were used to store farm equipment before the fire. Gillian Walnes the executive director of the Anne Frank Trust UK, said:

Jewish Musem commemorates Anne Frank's birthday with school trip

Manchester Jewish Museum commemorated what would have been Anne Frank’s 79th birthday by inviting pupils from across the North West to a special event on June 12. Pupils from Notre Dame High School; Manchester High School For Girls; Two Trees Sports College; and George Salter Collegiate Academy watched a documentary about Anne Frank and were addressed by Holocaust survivors.

Cindy Lass cultivates Anne Frank’s legacy with a painting of her famous tree

North-London artist Cindy Lass has been commissioned by Sir Elton John, George Michael and the Queen. But it is her latest endeavour that she feels particularly passionate about. The mother-of-two recently completed a painting of “Anne Frank’s tree” for the Anne Frank Trust. The teenager famously looked out on to a chestnut tree, which provided a rare glimpse to the outside world, as she spent two years hiding from the Nazis in an Amsterdam attic. Anne died in Bergen-Belsen in 1945, aged 15.