Hermann van Pels was born on March 31, 1898, in Germany. He grew up in Gehrde and Osnabruck with his five siblings. Little did he know that his life would become intertwined with that of the famous diarist Anne Frank.
In late 1925, Hermann married Auguste Rottgen. Their son, Peter, was born in November of the following year. The family lived a relatively normal life until the rise of the Nazis in Germany.
By trade, Hermann was a butcher. In 1938, he went into business with Otto Frank, Anne Frank's father. Little did they know that their partnership would lead them into hiding, trying to escape the horrors of the Holocaust.
In 1942, as the persecution of Jews in Amsterdam intensified, the van Pels family joined the Franks in hiding. Living in cramped quarters, they relied on the kindness of others to survive. Anne Frank would later refer to Hermann as either Hermann or Hans van Daan in her diary.
Despite their efforts to remain hidden, the group was discovered by the Nazis in 1944. Hermann van Pels was separated from his family and sent to Auschwitz, where he met a tragic end later that year. His death served as a brutal reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust.
Though his life was cut short, Hermann van Pels is remembered for his bravery in the face of unimaginable adversity. His story, along with that of Anne Frank and the others in hiding, continues to serve as a poignant reminder of the importance of remembrance and the need to confront the atrocities of the past.
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