Hannah Pick-Goslar, known as Hanneli to her friends and as 'Lies Goosens' in her dear friend Anne Frank's diary, was born in Berlin 1928, as the eldest child of Jewish parents, Hans Goslar and Ruth Judith Klee. In 1933, after the election of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, the Goslars moved to Amsterdam. After the Nazi occupation of Europe intensified, in 1943, Hannah and her family were arrested and sent to Westerbork transit camp, before being transported to Bergen-Belsen. Hannah survived 14 months of horrific conditions and hardship before the camp was liberated in 1945. She emigrated to British Mandate Palestine in 1947 and trained as a nurse. Once retired, Hannah enjoyed the company of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She passed away in 2022 at the age of 93.
The real Anne Frank, by her best friend * Daily Telegraph * [A] beautiful and complex friendship * New York Post * Hannah's story finally completes what Anne could not. It is both heartbreaking and life-affirming, and we need its truth now more than ever. * Dr. Edith Eger, author of The Choice * An extraordinary story of love, loss, and the power of friendship in the darkest time. This book, like its author, is an essential companion to Anne Frank's life. * Jack Fairweather, Costa Prizewinning author of The Volunteer * A heart-wrenching memoir of friendship and survival. By telling her story, Hannah Goslar pays tribute to her best friend Anne Frank and the millions of others who did not survive the Holocaust. But she also shows us how to preserve our humanity in the face of evil. * Ronald Leopold, Executive Director of the Anne Frank House *