Anne Frank the Untold Story: The hidden truth about Elli Vossen, the youngest helper of the Secret Annex

by Joop van Wijk-Voskuijl, Jeroen de Bruyn

Anne Frank, the untold story Many facets about the hiders in the Secret Annex in Amsterdam have been highlighted throughout the years, but, remarkably enough, the role of Otto Frank’s young secretary Bep Voskuijl, Elli Vossen in Anne Frank’s Diary, has received very little attention. Belgian journalist Jeroen De Bruyn and Bep’s son Joop van Wijk dove into her past and reconstructed her tragic, but fascinating life. Bep is 23 years old when, in 1942, she is let in on the secret of the eight hiders on Prinsengracht. During the next 25 months, she becomes a pillar of support for Anne Frank, with whom she builds an intense friendship. Bep buys clothes and food for the hiders and supplies Anne with paper to write her diary. Things aren’t easy for her father, the maker of the famous revolving bookcase, becomes gravely ill in 1943, and her sister collaborates with the Germans. Bep leads a double life, keeping this secret from her boyfriend and family. When the Germans raid the hiding place on August 4, 1944, and arrest the hiders, Bep escapes in horror. Later, she rescues a large part of Anne’s writings. The news of the deaths of seven out of the eight hiders – only Otto Frank returns from the concentration camps – leaves deep scars. Anne Frank, The Untold Story casts a new light on Anne Frank’s short life, by means of previously unknown witnesses and documents. That makes this book a valuable addition to her world-famous Diary. Moreover, it’s a tribute to those brave Dutch people who risked their lives to save Jews. Finally, the book adds a remarkable name to the list of people who could have betrayed the hiders of the Secret Annex.

Genres: Holocaust, History, Biography Memoir

163 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 7, 2018

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book to read. Ever since I read "Diary of Anne Frank" when I was nine years old, I've been on this journey to read/learn(collect books) as much as possible about her, her family, the other 'hiders' in the Secret Annex, and their helpers as well. Now I've finally learned "Elli's" involvement and how it changed her life.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

At last, a book dedicated to the "quiet" helper, Bep Voskuijl - and loaded with so much information about her that you realise we truly never knew her before. Bep was evidently not so quiet with Anne, as the diary reveals an ongoing friendship and confidence, but it's clear that Bep was happiest limiting her discussions to close friends. After a number of negative experiences, she withdrew from making statements to journalists and investigators and spoke mainly to her correspondents and the official courts. Fortunately, a lot of her letters exist and were researched carefully with the assistance of her son Joop. So many details and facets of her life come to light that this is a book that will be referred to for years to come. It also has full references at the back for further research. It also reveals Bep to be a strong, determined woman, and very much the brave soul that we knew she must have been to take an active role in the hiding of the Franks. If you thought Miep was the main helper while Bep worked in the office, this is a book you need to read. As for Faurisson, who briefly darkens its pages once or twice, he will no doubt be desperate to avoid the ridicule due to him for claiming that Bep had been completely incapable of contributing to his twisted inquiries. Not only do decades of historical records reveal a treasure trove of independent testimony from Bep, but she is on record as having decided firmly to give no further details to such individuals - and very evidently maintained exactly that stance in the face of his persistence when he visited her alone and unexpectedly. A truly remarkable woman and a first class witness.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bep’s biography. Includes details about her but also some historical insights of that period and is a fairly recent book. Comments on past publications and references collected are not only interesting to come across but adds to the book's value as well. It’s probably one of the most comprehensive and updated publications out there on the matter and I’d give a 5 star for this.

But I found the concluding argument in the end not sharp enough nor so well organised. One thing that made me suspicious instantly after reading some background info on Anne's diary was the fact that Miep and Bep wasn’t arrested after the raid. I expected to see discussions over Nelly’s contact with the Germans being playing a part on the fact that the ladies were ‘spared’, but this point isn’t touched. The lead of the arrest, Green Police Silberbauer's remarks before he left Bep and Miep alone was also curious. Also the fact that Miep didn’t say much about why Silberbauer didn’t arrest her was strange. (Miep said in her autobiography that she was spared because she was Viennese, I see no harm in confining this to Bep when she inquired. But perhaps as Miep's motto during the war went: the less known the better.) None of these were discussed. Miep said that she had long been confined that van Maaren had his own son in hiding therefore was convinced van Maaren was not the traitor, is also never discussed, but instead, writers said that the traitor was a women was why, around 1963-64, the circle's attitude on finding the traitor cooled off.

But still it was an informative read.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

ANNE FRANK THE UNTOLD STORY: The hidden truth about Elli Vosen, the youngest helper of the Secret Annex is by Jeroen DuBruyn and Joop van Wijk. This book is quite unusual in that the life Bep is uncovered in such a manner that one begins to see the truth behind the alliance discovered between Anne Frank and Bep while Anne Frank was in hiding.
Bep Voskuijl was the eldest daughter of Christina and Johan Voskuijl. Although her Mother was not excited about being a mother, she was delighted with Elizabeth, known as Elli or Bep. As the oldest, she was the most helpful with the four girls who followed her, Annie, Willy, Nelly, and Corrie. Joop as the only son was eagerly awaited. Finally, as a surprise came the twins, Diny and Gerda. Bep acted as a second mother to her twin sisters. As finances dwindled, Bep took on more responsibilities in the family. Eventually, in 1938 at the age of 18, she went to work for the Opetka company owned by Otto Frank. Bep and Miep Geis became good friends as well as working together. Because the Frank girls came to the office often, Bep became acquainted with them and Mrs. Frank too. When the Franks went into hiding at the workplace, Otto asked each of his employees who would be involved if they would help them. As with the others, Bep’s answer was an immediate and unequivocal yes. Along with Miep, it was Bep’s responsibility to bring in food and other items for the daily keep of the members of the Secret Annex. She also provided a news, games, paper, and any other distraction she could for the inhabitants of the Secret Annex. Because she was closest in age to the girls and she was living with six sisters, she became closest to Anne and Margot. Bep could only talk to her father about what she was doing and to him only because he was the warehouse manager for Opetka company. He was the man who built the bookcase to hide the door to the Annex. She kept the secret from her Moher, sisters, and even from her boyfriend. She definitely didn’t talk about it to her sister Nelly. Nelly had a Nazi boyfriend as well as had many other friends among the Nazis. Luckily for them, Nelly left Amsterdam with her boyfriend for a while. However, later Bep’s boyfriend told the author of the book that he was sure that Nelly knew about the Jews they were hiding. Nelly has even come under suspicion as being the young lady who called in saying there were Jews in the building.
This book is very interesting and fills in some of the blanks left in Anne’s diary. It gives us a more rounded look at the inhabitants of the Secret Annex and the helpers who cared for them. It is definitely a book needed to fill out the story.

[Cindy Dyson Eitelman · Rating 3 out of 5]

So...I'm addicted to Anne Frank stories. Get that right out in public at the first. I read everything I can get my hands on; I own several books on the subject; and I even tried to read The Critical Edition once--that's the one where all three versions of the diary are printed in the same volume, intermixed. I didn't get very far with that--it's basically like reading an author's second draft, third draft and first draft at the same time and that gets old really fast.

For an addict, this is required reading. For anyone else, no. It really didn't get into the subject's (Bep Voskupfil) mind as I'd hoped. The author tried, but there was too much missing material. To tell the story I'd hoped he'd write the whole autobiography of Bep and her life in context, would have required fictionalizing to make up the details. He didn't do that and I'm grateful...but it would have made a good story.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing to learn about friends of the Frank Family

I have long known the story of Anne Frank's Diary, but never knew much about those that helped hide the people in the Annex. Bep's name was not familiar to me at all, so to finally learn of not only her but her family opened up a whole new chapter regarding all who were involved back then. Adding this to the story from Anne's diary opened up much more about what those hidden in the Annex endured during the two years they hid away. It also gave new insight to those known as "the helpers"... Bep, Miep and her husband, Jan, Bep's father (who built the famous bookcase that covered up the door to the Annex) and the others who helped and worked in Otto Frank's company. An excellent book for anyone who wants to delve into the story a bit more.

[Dr. Mehak Burza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Frank The Untold Story, co authored by Joop van Wijk and Jeroen De Bruyn is an important narrative that sheds a spotlight on the hitherto unknown background of Bep Voskuijl (Elli Vossen), the youngest helper of the Frank family when they were hiding in 263 Pristengracht. The authors have painstakingly combined information from various sources, which add authenticity to their accounts. The main crux of the book lies in the tracing the person behind the betrayal of the hiders. With pieces of information from Diny Voskuijl and Bertus Hulsman, the authors are able to put the jigsaw together and make an authentic guess. Joop, the youngest son of Bep, has undoubtedly passed on the message of “boundless loyalty” of his mother as well as of his grandfather, Johan, who was the architect behind the bookcase that served the masked entrance to the Secret Annex

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight into Bep, who was the “lesser known” of the four people who helped hide the Frank family (along with the van Pels and Fritz Pfeffer) during the German occupation of Amsterdam during WWII. Reading about Bep and Anne’s close relationship during Anne’s time was emotional, just knowing that Anne had so much potential and was an amazing person and to read about Bep and how she cared so much about her is heartbreaking. It was also interesting to revisit Anne and Edith’s relationship as daughter and mother as a mother myself and there was a particular passage that pulled on my heartstrings and makes me not want to fail my own daughter.

[Mica's Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read many, many books about Anne Frank. I have read Miep Gies' book. Until this point, I had never read a book about Bep. It was very interesting to not only read how the time with those in the Annex affected Bep but also how it took great hold over her life. Through interviews with Bep's children and those close to her, a vivid picture is gathered of how Bep carried the "hiders" in her heart and how she knew that their story needed to be told to ensure their memory remained. Until her untimely death, Bep stayed in touch with those whose lives were also greatly affected for that 25 months she helped keep her friends safe.

[Kerstin Kohlhepp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read

I read Anne Frank's diary when I was in 5th grade and have loved her ever since. I have tried to read everything out there on her and the others. Getting to read about Bep was fantastic. I had always wanted to know more about her.
This book shed more light on Anne that others have not written about. Getting to know Bep's story is another piece of the puzzle with the hiders in the Attic. I recommend it to those who've read Anne's diary and other books on her. They were all heroes.

[Christine Mathieu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have rated it 5 stars if the aspect ratio of the pics would have been right. But unfortunately it was not wide enough for the height, all pics appear squished.
Other than that it's a very good book with lots of information on Bep Voskujil who was one of the helpers of the 8 people in hiding in Prinsengracht 263.
The author was only 15 years old when he started doing research for this biography.
I can highly recommend it to everybody who likes to read more on Anne Frank.

[Megan Wilkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of the many books I have read surrounding the life of Anne Frank and those who helped hide her, this is not necessarily a favourite. That said, it is good to get more of an insight into the life of Bep. One of the main problems I had with this book was the way that it has been published with the photographs "squashed" so that you cannot really see them properly. I would still recommend it to those who want a deeper look into the life of Anne and the helpers.

[Tasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book filled in the blanks about Bep and her family. Also went to great detail about what life was like for the "helpers" once Anne Frank's book was published. Bep for the most part tried to stay out of the public eye. A good book to read if your interested in Anne Frank history.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful! I've always been fascinated with the story of Anne Frank and her family. To learn about the roles of their helpers while they were in hiding was touching. Very well written!

[Molly Giddens · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was information I didn’t know before, but I felt like the title was a bit misleading. It was about Bep’s life, in connection with Anne Frank, not really untold events or secrets.