Hannah Pick-Goslar, simply Hanneli to her friends, was born in Berlin 1928, 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. Hannah attended the 6th Montessori School, where she became best friends with Anne Frank. Hannah is referred to as 'Lies Goosens' in some of the tales in Anne Frank's diary. In June 1943, Hannah, her father, her maternal grandparents, along with Hannah's younger sister Gabi, were arrested and sent to Westerbork transit camp, and then eventually to Bergen-Belsen. Hannah survived 14 months until the camp was liberated in 1945. She emigrated to British Mandate Palestine in 1947, shortly before it became Israel, and trained as a nurse. Once retired, Hannah enjoyed the company of her 3 children, 10 grandchildren and 31 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 *