History of Sorts

On this day, Father’s Day, I can’t help but wonder about Otto Frank, seen above in conversation with Millie Perkins, the leading actress in the 1958 film about Anne.

How did Mr Frank celebrate Father’s Day? I know he remarried and had a stepdaughter. However, I am sure he adored his stepdaughter—Eva Schloss—there weren’t any blood ties.

Every Father’s Day, Otto Frank would be reminded of the murder of his two daughters, more so than on any other day except for birthdays.

As a father, I cannot imagine my life without my children. Even now, when they are slowly making advances to build their own lives, it will not be too long before the nest is empty, and I already have difficulties thinking about that.

Otto Frank must have found comfort in the words his daughter, Anne, wrote in her diary. Nevertheless, the pains surely would still be real as ever. Otto Frank wasn’t the only father who survived the Holocaust without his family—there were others.

I also reminded myself about David Friedman and his story. It is not just a story of dealing with horrors from the Holocaust but also a story of a second chance with hopes despite immense grief and hardships.

David Friedman lost his family during the Holocaust. He remarried after the war. From that marriage, another daughter was born, Miriam Friedman. (In 2020, I had the privilege to interview his daughter.)

To finish this article, I would like to give my thoughts about being a father.

A father isn’t a title—it is a job. For man, it is most likely, the most challenging responsibility a man can have. You are the protector of your children, although this is often impossible to do. You want to be the perfect human being, but you can’t—no one can. The most important gift you can give your children is love and give it plentifully. If your children don’t hate you at some stage, you haven’t done your job right. This hate isn’t a prolonged hatred—it often only lasts a day,

For all those fathers who saw their children led to the camps—I will pray for them and their children on this Father’s Day.