When I wrote Dear Cara-Letters From Otto Frank years ago (it was the second book after Love, Otto), recounting a nearly 20-year correspondence and friendship with Anne Frank’s father, Otto Frank, I could never have imagined that it would be such a gift that keeps on giving to me in so many ways. I never anticipated the extraordinary connection to some wonderful people who became a great part of my life—an extended family. In addition to my beloved Otto and Fritzi Frank, were included Buddy (Anne Frank’s first cousin) and Gerti (Bambi) Elias, Miep Gies (Otto Frank’s assistant and the main lifeline to the Franks and the others in hiding), and Eva Schloss (Fritzi’s daughter.) The added joy was the fact that I would also inherit what were to become my “soul siblings.
Back in 1977, I was contacted by someone who has since become a brother, best friend, and Father. Literally. John Neiman is a priest and he’s my loving “Father” John. Here’s what he says about our initial meeting. “Otto and Fritzi told me all about you when I first visited them in June, 1976. Otto was going to give me your address, but he forgot (you can well imagine that we talked about many things, including Auschwitz). He was so excited when he was telling me about you and all your letters. He was convinced we must not live far from each other and he was right.”
John finally did write me after he read an article about my connection to Otto Frank in the Los Angeles Times. Through the years, John joined in lots of my family gatherings—from Thanksgivings to Passovers to a lunch with Miep and Jan. In 1986, I was privileged to be invited to attend John’s ordination ceremony when he became a priest. Miep and Jan also attended and it was a very moving experience I’ll never forget.
Years later, around 1995, I attended an art gallery in Pacific Grove, where I lived. My book had just been published and the gallery owner, Judy Jensen, had read about me in a local Monterey newspaper. It was then that she told me that she had a friend who also knew Otto Frank. When she told me that it was Ryan Cooper my heart nearly stopped. I had written about Ryan in my book. Fritzi had told me about his friendship with Otto and I found his story fascinating, but I didn’t know Ryan at all. After that I was given his phone number and called him! Ryan Cooper is an artist/illustrator and antiques dealer from Massachusetts. We instantly clicked, both of us so overjoyed to have found each other. I have Ryan’s lovely art works of Anne and Otto in my home and we have met a few times through the years; the last being at Pete’s and my wedding in Pacific Grove nearly five years ago.
It was always a dream of mine to gather some of the longtime correspondents of Otto and do a documentary about them. I write about a few of them in the book, including Father John and Ryan. Each of us is connected in this special way being one of “Otto’s Children.” For a flurry of time it looked like this dream was going to come true with a team gathering interest and promised funding to make it happen. But at this juncture in time it looks like it’s but a dream.
Yet Ryan and John and I are forever joined at the heart. They are my brothers in spirit. I am their sister. As you will read in their recent interviews these two fine individuals have had some of the most poignant experiences any of us other “Otto’s Children” could only wish for in our wildest dreams. They have both held The Diary. Ryan has walked with Otto into the hiding place. They each formed long-lasting friendships with Miep and Fritzi and Eva and others. Both Father John and Ryan are like living, breathing Almanacs recounting minute details, dates, times about the Franks and the Holocaust and all connected to Anne and Otto in photographic memory. Both give talks about Otto as do I. We all hope that someday we’ll be able to give a talk together, something we’ve never done before.
I remained very close to Fritzi, who was a dear and supportive friend and surrogate grandmother to me. During my darkest times, she was there in her letters to keep me going, very much like her precious husband, Otto, who had passed away years before. The last time I saw her was in February 1998 on her 93rd birthday in London where she was staying with Eva and her family; and though everyone thought she wouldn’t remember me because her memory was rapidly failing, she did indeed know me, asking me most of all about my sons, (she and Otto always sent them these yummy gingerbread cookies every holiday) and hugged me as fiercely as she did the first time we met so many years prior. Father John’s huge bouquet of flowers arrived for her while she and I were visiting and she was so thrilled and remembered him too. She loved him very much. Fritzi died on October 1st of that same year. I felt so blessed that I got to see her when I did. She was a delightful, incredible woman. I adored her. Father John said of Fritzi, “Can you imagine that at one time she was selected to be gassed and she lived to see her great-grandchildren. The power of love and the human spirit!” So very true. I still am close to Buddy and Gerti Elias and am grateful for our friendship through the years. (I’ve written about them in a separate blog.)
I now introduce you to Ryan Cooper and Father John Neiman. We three are but a few of a global gathering of “Otto’s Children.” They are my lifelong brothers and I love them dearly.
Father John Neiman
When did you first discover/read The Diary of Anne Frank?
I first read The Diary of Anne Frank when I was in 5th grade.
What was your life like before then and what changed after you connected with the Diary and then later with Otto Frank?
My life was a typical, happy American childhood with a wonderful and loving family. When I connected with the Diary and with Otto Frank, I confronted the Holocaust, came to have great hope and faith in the future and in humanity and I was given a life-giving friendship which forever touched my soul, brought great joy to my life and led me to discover and embrace my life’s vocation.
How did The Diary impact your world view? What resonated the most about her and her story?
Reading about Anne’s faith in God, her faith in humanity and her refusal to surrender her dreams in the midst of all the horror around her helped me (and continues to help me) be a better person, have more faith and never to give up.
When did you first meet/contact Otto Frank? Can you tell us briefly about that?
I wrote my first letter to Otto Frank in late 1974. I met him for the first time in Birsfelden (Switzerland) in June 1976.
What was it about him that you remember/love most?
I think what I remember the most about Otto is to me he was the most loving, good and “holy” person I have ever met. It seemed like we had known each other all our lives. He had a deep and abiding love for people, a great sense of humor and made you feel like you were his best friend.
I remember the most his beautiful smile and his overwhelming goodness. He really was the essence of kindness (as a German friend once also expressed to me). His great hope in people and in the future gave me confidence and strength.
What would you want the world to know about him?
I would want the world to know that Otto Frank was a truly great man. After all the horror and tragedy in his life he was not bitter or angry. He was a shining example of the power of the human spirit to overcome the most horrible evil with the power of love.
How did he change/impact your life?
Otto changed my life. During a discussion with Otto about Anne and her life (January 1979) he said that if I really wanted to honor Anne’s memory and all those who died in the Holocaust I should do what Anne wanted to do: Live your life doing good for other people. I felt very much called to be a Roman Catholic priest and after Otto said those words to me I knew that for me the fulfillment of those words would be for me the priesthood. I am now 26 years ordained and there is not a day that passes that I don’t remember those words and can hear Otto saying them to me.
You and Ryan Cooper were both probably the only “Otto’s Children” to actually see/hold the actual diary. Can you tell us about that moment and how it happened?
I really can’t find the words to describe what it was like to see and hold the actual Diary. It was like nothing else I have ever experienced and all I can say is I felt as if Anne was standing right next to me.
You and Ryan were both were very close to Miep and Fritzi and Eva, also Buddy and Gerti. Can you tell us briefly about your friendships with them and what you remember /love the most about them.
Fritzi became one of my dearest and best friends. After Otto died I visited her every year for more than ten years. She was one of the most kind and good-hearted people I have ever met. I treasure every moment we spent together. Her sense of humor and her overwhelming goodness continue to bless my life.
Miep inspired me with her love for the Frank family and her willingness to give up her life for them if necessary. She always felt she was just doing her duty to her friends and always refused the title of “hero.” I visited 20 times over a 30-year period and each visit was a joy, a blessing and very life-changing. Miep and Jan gave me a great gift when they came to Los Angeles for my ordination in 1986. Their example continues to inspire me and I know I am a better person because of them. Ryan and I had the honor of being with Miep on her 100th birthday (February 15, 2009).
I first met Buddy and Gerti in July 1981. Miep, Jan, Fritzi, Oliver and I went on an excursion to
Rhinefelden. I met Buddy and Gerti when we took Oliver back to Herbtsgasse, Switzerland. I have had dinner with them a few times, but I am not in touch with them on a regular basis. The last time I saw them was in November 1996 when I was in Birsfelden visiting Fritzi.
Ryan Cooper
When did you first discover/read The Diary of Anne Frank?
I discovered Anne Frank first in 1972 through the George Stevens film, “The Diary of Anne Frank,” which led me to read “The Diary of a Young Girl.”
What was your life like before then and what changed after you connected with the Diary and then later with Otto Frank?
I had been brought up as a Jehovah’s Witness and my world revolved around that. My activities and my associations were those of the Witnesses but, because of a broken engagement, I began to drift away from the sect. It was during this period, I discovered Anne Frank. As I drifted further, I found other interests such as theatre and new friends which had been frowned upon by the Witnesses. My interest in Anne Frank grew gradually but, consumed more of my thoughts as I learned more. After writing to and receiving the first letter from Otto Frank, my world revolved around Anne Frank.
How did The Diary impact your world view? What resonated the most about her and her story?
At first Anne had little impact on my world view which had always been colored by my association with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Witnesses had been taught to stay separate from worldly things and for a long time that did not change. Because Jehovah’s Witnesses had been persecuted by Hitler, I had a general knowledge about the Holocaust, but Anne’s experience made it very personal to me. Through the lens of the Diary, it became an intimate look of a family in hiding and the everyday fear of being discovered. That resonated with me.
When did you first meet/contact Otto Frank? Can you tell us briefly about that?
I first met Otto and Fritzi Frank in May 1973 at their home in Switzerland. Otto and I bonded almost immediately and it was as if I had known Otto all my life. As a result I could share my deepest feelings with him during that first visit. I spent a week with Otto and Fritzi during which they shared many things with me regarding Anne and the Diary as well as taking me out on various excursions. They took me into their family.
What was it about him that you remember/love most?
I think what struck me most about Otto was his willingness to share his love for his daughters but, Anne especially. His cheerfulness and willingness to engage with other young people though often strangers. His modesty and lack of self interest. Remarkable after all that had been taken from him.
What would you want the world to know about him?
I think what I’d want the world to realize about Otto was what resonated with me as I answered in the previous question. It’s that quality that most people don’t know about him. Also I would want people to know how dedicated Otto was to working for mankind through the words of Anne’s diary. This he would always encourage his young correspondents to follow.
How did he change/impact your life?
At first I was totally focused on doing something in connection with Anne Frank. I wanted to live in Amsterdam and work for the Anne Frank House. Otto became my mentor and father figure and I always looked to him for his opinion and in this matter he told me that my goal was unrealistic but, still tried to help me. This is an example of how he impacted my life and decisions. To this day he impacts my life. Even though he is physically gone, it’s as if I feel his presents standing next to me, especially when I am speaking to students about our relationship and Anne.
You and Father John Neiman were both probably the only “Otto’s Children” to actually see/hold the actual diary. Can you tell us about that moment and how it happened?
Before I met Otto, I had a dream of literally holding Anne’s Diary in my hands. I didn’t realize that no one outside the family had that privilege. Visitors were shown a facsimile that Otto had made.
It was the second day after we had first met. Otto was showing me the copy Diary as we were sitting on the sofa. I stopped Otto and asked if I could see Anne’s original diary. To this day I don’t think he had ever been asked before but, after a thought, he agreed. The next evening Otto led me to his study and from the open doorway, I saw the 3 volumes that were Anne’s Diary. We stopped and Otto took my arm and said, “Now I leave you alone with Anna’s Diary,” and he left.
I sat down at the desk and spent about 30-45 minutes alone with Anne’s diary. As I went through the pages I could not read, I made comments in my own journal which I had brought with me. I copied the little drawing Anne had done of a skating outfit she wished for. During that time, Otto never came in which shows the trust he had in me. That night was truly a dream come true.
Ryan, you actually walked through the annex with Otto Frank. Can you tell us more about that?
It was summer 1973. Otto, Fritzi and I met at the Anne Frank House in what had been his private office. After the House had closed and all was quiet, Otto and I went up to the annex. It was the first time I had been there and the stillness made the experience surreal. In each room Otto noted various items such as the map of the Allied advance, the pencil marks of the growth of the girls and Anne’s photos.
In Peter’s little room, Otto was telling me the story of the bag of beans which burst open and Anne found herself standing in a sea of beans. I was standing on the ladder looking into the loft. There was a moment of silence. I turned to see Otto with tears in his eyes. He wiped his cheeks and said, “You see I can’t take too much!” He said he had to leave but, I could stay. I followed him down part way and it struck me that while I could only imagine what had occurred here, he was reliving it all again. He was seeing the faces and hearing their voices…Anne’s voice once more. I’ll never forget that moment.
You and Father John were both were very close to Miep and Fritzi and Eva, also Buddy and Gerti. Can you tell us briefly about your friendships with them and what you remember /love the most about them.
Miep: I first met Miep and Jan in 1973 during the summer I spent in Amsterdam. I was often at their apartment. For me it was difficult to get close to Miep at first. Miep was a woman of steel with eyes that could pierce your soul and I always felt she could read my thoughts. At first Miep could not understand my obsession with Anne but as time went on she came to understand and as a result we became close. Of course the last time we met was at her 100th birthday which I will always remember with deep appreciation.
Fritzi: Otto’s protector and love of his life. She was upset with Otto when he left me alone with Anne’s Diary. Sometimes on our walks, Otto would be 10 paces ahead of us and she would yell, “Otto! Slow down!” Otto would yell back, “But I’m fast!” Fritzi was always concerned about my welfare and especially that I find a mate. She was a “Yenta.”
Eva, Buddy and Gerti: I am in frequent touch with Eva and often meet up with her when she comes to the States as well as visit her in London. Our relationship is one I treasure very much.
Buddy and Gerti I did not meet until 2003 when I visited them in Basel. They had never heard of me but when I told Buddy of my relationship with Otto and especially Otto sharing Anne’s Diary with me, Buddy took me to the bank where much of Anne’s letters and other writings were held which I got to hold. We keep in touch and do meet occasionally.
Finally, I want to add that Otto and Fritzi considered me as part of their family but, that was the way it was with all of “Otto’s Children.” We who were close to him consider ourselves brothers and sisters. I’ll never forget Otto’s words during one evening in 1973. He said “Now you have a family.”
