Berthe Meijer facts for kids

Berthe Meijer (born April 21, 1938 – died July 10, 2012) was a Dutch writer. She was a survivor of the Holocaust, a very difficult time in history. In her book, she wrote about her experiences in a place called Bergen-Belsen. She even mentioned knowing Anne Frank there. Other people who survived the camp confirmed her story. Berthe was also a journalist who wrote about food and published a cookbook.

Berthe Meijer's Early Life

Berthe Meijer was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 1938. Her family was Jewish. Before World War II, she lived on the same street as Anne Frank. Both families had moved to Amsterdam from Germany. They came to the Netherlands to escape the difficult times under Adolf Hitler's rule. They became part of a close-knit Jewish community in Amsterdam.

In early 1944, Berthe and her family were captured. They were sent away from the Netherlands in March 1944. Berthe and Anne Frank were both held at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp at the same time. Sadly, Anne Frank and her older sister, Margot Frank, passed away there. This happened just two weeks before the camp was freed. Berthe Meijer was released in April 1945. She had been held for 13 months. After the camp was freed, Berthe grew up in a Jewish orphanage. Her parents had also passed away at Bergen-Belsen in January 1945.

Berthe Meijer's Career and Books

In 2010, Berthe Meijer published her memoir. A memoir is a book about a person's own life experiences. Her book was called Life After Anne Frank. It shared her personal story from the camp.

In her book, Berthe wrote that Anne Frank and her sister told fairy tales. They shared these stories with Berthe and other Dutch-speaking children in Bergen-Belsen. She also wrote that the Frank sisters sometimes helped care for the younger Dutch children. Other survivors of the Holocaust supported these claims. It was known that Anne Frank had tried writing fairy tales herself.

Besides her memoir, Berthe Meijer was also a food journalist. She wrote regular articles for a Dutch newspaper called NRC Handelsblad. She also published her own cookbook.

Berthe Meijer's Later Life

Berthe Meijer passed away on July 10, 2012. She died from cancer. She was survived by her husband, Gary Goldschneider, her sister, her son, and two grandchildren.