Jacqueline Sanders-Van Maarsen, the Dutch author and cherished friend of Anne Frank, passed away on Thursday, February 13, 2025, at the age of 96. The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam announced her death, according to La Stampa.
Born on January 30, 1929, in Amsterdam, Sanders-Van Maarsen was a friend and classmate of Anne Frank, whom she met at the Jewish Lyceum in 1941. The two girls became great friends within days of meeting. "I only met Jacqueline van Maarsen at the Jewish Lyceum, and now she is my best friend," Anne Frank wrote in her diary on June 15, 1942.
After the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands in 1941, Sanders-Van Maarsen transferred to the Jewish Lyceum, where she wore a yellow star on her coat. Despite the growing dangers, her friendship with Anne Frank flourished, as reported by Het Nieuwsblad. Shortly after writing about their friendship, Anne and her family went into hiding to escape the German National Socialists. They lived in secrecy for two years before their hiding place was discovered in 1944, leading to their deportation, according to Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Anne Frank and her sister Margot died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in the spring of 1945, likely from typhus fever, at the age of 15. Sanders-Van Maarsen's fate took a different turn. Her mother, a French Catholic, managed to have herself and her daughters classified as non-Jewish, allowing the entire van Maarsen family, including Jacqueline's Jewish father, to survive the war. However, many of her paternal relatives were killed in the extermination camps.
During the war, Anne wrote a farewell letter to Jacqueline on September 25, 1942, expressing her hope for their enduring friendship. "I hope that when we see each other again, we will remain best friends forever. I hope we will see each other soon, but probably not before the end of the war," Anne wrote. This letter never reached Jacqueline during the war; it was only after the conflict ended that she received it, discovering Anne had signed it "Your best friend Anne."
After the war, Sanders-Van Maarsen pursued a career as a bookbinder. In 1954, she married Ruud Sanders, with whom she had three children. Ruud passed away three years prior to her own death.
For many years, Sanders-Van Maarsen remained silent about her friendship with Anne Frank. This changed with the publication of her book "Anne and Jopie" in 1990, marking the end of her silence. She felt a duty to "write for the one who could no longer write." Three more books followed, including "Your Best Friend Anne," which was awarded the Silver Pencil in 2012, as noted by Het Nieuwsblad.
In her writings and during visits to schools, Sanders-Van Maarsen spoke candidly about her friendship with Anne Frank and advocated for education on anti-Semitism and racism. She remained in contact with Otto Frank, Anne's father and the sole survivor of the Frank family, until his death in 1980.
On June 12, 2019, commemorating what would have been Anne Frank's 90th birthday, Sanders-Van Maarsen visited Anne's former home at Merwedeplein with fellow classmate Albert Gomes de Mesquita. They reflected on their memories and engaged with young people about Anne's life and legacy.
In April 2024, Sanders-Van Maarsen bestowed a gift upon the Anne Frank House: her poetry album containing a handwritten verse by Anne Frank dated March 23, 1942. She had preserved this album meticulously over the years as a testament to their deep friendship. "We could always count on her, even when she was already advanced in age," said the Anne Frank House. They acknowledged that she meant a great deal to the museum and supported the Anne Frank Foundation.
This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq