An Interview with Anne Frank’s Family

I know many of you are aware of my longtime correspondence with Anne Frank’s father, Otto Frank. Our friendship is documented in nearly twenty years of letters back and forth in my book, Dear Cara-Letters From Otto Frank. Gratefully, my friendship with Otto’s nephew, Buddy Elias (Anne Frank’s first cousin), and Buddy’s wife, Gerti, has continued long after Otto’s passing in 1980.

Before I was about to meet Otto at last in Basel, Switzerland, my dearest mentor encouraged me to first meet Buddy and Bambi (Gerti) who were visiting in Hollywood, California, where I was living at the time. And so it was that I welcomed Anne Frank’s first cousin to my table where we shared cantaloupe and laughter and even tears. I was awestruck. Buddy is a firecracker of a man. All energy and passion and expressive eyes and a room-filling presence that only a performer has. It was as if I had come face-to-face with Anne Frank incarnate. He is so much what I envisioned her to be like with her sense of drama and charm. Buddy is a popular actor throughout Europe. In contrast, his beautiful wife, Gerti, (who was once also an actor) was and still is a willowy, beautiful study in grace and quiet strength. They are deeply in love and have been for almost 50 years.

Gerti has co-authored a book with the legendary writer, Mirjam Pressler, entitled “Anne Frank’s Family.” It is a must-read for all who want to know the up to now untold story of the Frank family from a deeply moving perspective. You are brought into the world of grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins in Switzerland, waiting to hear about their beloved family caught in the Holocaust crosshairs. Only cryptic notes and letters gave Otto’s relatives hints of those in hiding and before that the abundance of letters, poems, notes echo the very heart and soul of this astounding, profoundly loving family. Gerti talks briefly about her book in this interview.

The Elias’ have become part of my own family—Buddy even attended my son, Jesse’s, high school graduation—and I spent brief times visiting them in their beautiful Swiss family residence. I’ve met their two gorgeous sons and the youngest, Oliver, has stayed with my son, Ethan in his L.A. home and also my studio in Monterey, we all want them to come back and play! A few years ago, my husband Pete and I met Buddy and Gerti in San Francisco for dinner together. They are amazing people.

Still fueled by immense fervor to keep the Frank family’s legacy alive, these two continue to travel worldwide giving talks and book readings.

Recently, I interviewed them via email and they answered back. I left their conversation intact in keeping with their German-Swiss pronunciation, only adding a few explanatory addendums to help the flow of the sentencing.

I’ve also followed this conversation with a far more in depth article written in 2008 that I found quite informative. It was written by the Senior Editor of PR.com, Allison Kugel, and I think you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

Here now is our conversation:

How important is it for you to keep the legacy of Anne Frank and Otto Frank alive?

Buddy: It is the most important part of my life. I have been spared the terrible destiny of my beloved Frank family. The least I can do is to keep the legacy of Anne, Margot, Edith and Otto alive.

 

What is the main aspect about Otto Frank that you would like the world to know?

Buddy: His humanistic thinking and acting. (NOTE: Buddy wants the world to know of the great humanitarian efforts that Otto Frank was involved in and how he lived what he spoke so passionately about. He acted on his words.) Buddy added about Otto that,“If he would still be alive today he would despair about the situation in Israel.”
If you could compare Otto Frank to any great individual—fiction or non-fiction—who would it be and why?
Buddy: I cannot compare him to anyone. Otto is Otto. Those that knew him know what I mean.

 

What is your earliest memory of Otto Frank? What was it about him that impacted you the most? When was the last time you saw him?

Buddy: I knew Otto already (sic: when I was) as a small child. I always admired his combination of seriousness and humour. The last time I saw him was shortly before his death. (NOTE: Otto Frank died in 1980, in Basel, Switzerland, at the age of 91 years old.)

Buddy, what is your earliest/favorite memory of Anne Frank and why do you think she has such impact on the world today?
Buddy: Anne was a lovable, funny, cheerful playmate with always lots of ideas what to do or what to play. Margot was highly intelligent, always the best in school. But I cannot remember having played games with her. She was always reading. Otto always said: “The whole world talks about Anne and no one about Margot”  He was sorry about that. He loved Margot also very much.

Do you feel a great responsibility being the first cousin of Anne Frank? How has being related to Anne and Otto Frank changed your life? What have you learned about people? About love? About bigotry?
Buddy: Anne’s Diary gives the answers to many humanistic questions. For instance, (sic: wanting to envision) our planet without discrimination and (sic: having) peace for all mankind. Every reader young or old gets the message. I still get mail by people telling, “Anne Frank’s Diary has changed my life.”  “Anne’s legacy gives me great responsibility.” It has changed my life completely. Apart from my acting career, it has become my duty to visit schools or organizations and talk to people who have read the Diary about Anne, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, racism, love-hate and humanistic questions. I do this quite often (sic: speaking to people).

Just two days ago I was in a small town in Germany talking and reading and there was a lady from Israel singing Hebrew songs and at the end she asked the audience to a rise and she sang the Hatikwa* for the 6 million murdered Jews. It was so moving.

(*Hatikva: The National Anthem of Israel)

Otto Frank had expressed to me the philosophy in believing that even if the end of the world would be imminent we must still plant a tree today. Do you agree with him? Do you have hope for the world?

Buddy: About Otto’s philosophy to plant a tree even if the end of the world was near – I would not have the strength. My outlook about the future of our planet is quite pessimistic.

 

How has being related to Anne and Otto and Margot Frank affected/impacted your own children’s lives?

Buddy: Our sons (Note: Patrick and Oliver) are absolutely aware of the terrible destiny of Otto and his family. But their life today occupies problems for them and their life and families (sic:and that is) enough.

 

Do you think Anne would still agree with her feelings as expressed in her Diary that… “People are really good at heart…”

Buddy: No I don’t think so. Anne would see the world more realistically today.

 

When I asked Otto if he knew who betrayed him he simply said, “It doesn’t matter.” What do you think he meant by that?

Buddy: I think that Otto knew who betrayed them, but he did not want to talk about it or prosecute his (sic:meaning the betrayer’s) family. He mentioned once to me that he did not want that another family should suffer because a family member committed a crime.

I am absolutely sure that Carol Ann Lee’s theory is correct. (NOTE: Carol Ann Lee is the author of the book, The Hidden Life of Otto Frank.) It was Tony Ahlers and his 3 friends. Gringhuis murdered Jews himself and was executed after the war. He was present at the arrest as well as the other friend of Ahlers. Ahlers son and brother both confirmed that Tony was the betrayor. Ahlers blackmailed Otto once already before the family was arrested.

 

 

How do you think Otto Frank would feel today realizing all the attention he’s received from the world?

Buddy: Otto never wanted to stand in the limelight. It was always Anne for him.

 

Gerti, can you tell us about that amazing moment when you discovered all those letters and photographs, etc. in the attic from Otto and his family? When did you decide to share them with the world and why? What has been the reaction of others to your book, “Anne Frank’s Family”?

Gerti: First I found fascinating letters dated from the 19th Century , but I could not make out at first if they were family members.Then I found Otto’s letters to his sister, Leni, and read his love for his little sister (letters from the first World War). I hardly could hold back my tears.

I found and read many, many more letters (about 6,000) and was overwhelmed by the love that came out of these documents of all family members to each other. Especially Alice Frank’s (NOTE: Mother of Otto Frank) letters and poems, her love to her children and grandchildren Stephan, Buddy, Margot and Anne. I realized that Anne inherited this culture already as a small child. The result was her Diary. Alice wrote not only wonderful letters, but moving poems as well, even humerous ones too, like the rest of the Frank family.

When I had finished reading all the correspondence, there developed in my mind the idea of a book. It was supported immediately by our literary agent.

We receive quite a few letters by readers thanking us for the book. We have read in many German cities as well as in London, New York and Jerusalem.

 

Anne Frank’s Last Living Relative, First Cousin Buddy Elias, Gives Insight Into Anne’s Life and Her Famous Diary

By Allison Kugel, Senior Editor – May 06, 2008 (PR.com)

http://www.pr.com/article/1099