Jewish notary was likely behind betrayal of Anne Frank to the Nazis

 

Researchers investigating the circumstances of Jewish diarist Anne Frank’s betrayal to the Nazis say they have likely identified the suspect responsible for alerting German forces in Amsterdam to the whereabouts of the Jewish teen in hiding.

The team, which includes former FBI agent Vince Pankoke, have named local Jewish notary Arnold van den Bergh as being the top suspect.

After six years trying to decipher the mystery, the team, which includes historians and other experts, found that van den Bergh was, despite the rounding up of local Jews – who were then transported to concentration camps – was still living in Amsterdam during the war, even after the Amsterdam Jewish Council was disbanded.

Van den Bergh, a former member of the council, was, apparently spared the fate of its other members, all of whom were sent to concentration camps.

The researchers also found evidence suggesting that someone from the Amsterdam Jewish Council was leaking information to the Nazi occupiers.

This is not the first time van der Bergh’s name has come up as a possible suspect. The team found an anonymous note, kept in the files of a previous investigation, which was sent to Anne Frank’s father, Otto Frank, telling him that van der Bergh had betrayed his daughter.