Annelies 'Anne' Marie Frank

Born in Frankfurt, Germany, Anne Frank's family fled to Amsterdam in 1933 to escape Nazi persecution. For two years, she and her family hid in a secret annex, a period during which Anne penned her famous diary. It chronicled her hopes, fears, and observations, transforming a young girl's private thoughts into an enduring testament to the human spirit in the face of unspeakable evil.

Her Jewish identity was not merely a birthright but a lived, inescapable reality during the Holocaust. Trapped and hunted for being Jewish, Anne's identity was forcefully thrust upon her, becoming the very crucible in which her literary legacy was forged. If there was ever a five-out-of-five Jew, Anne Frank would be it, sadly for all the wrong reasons.

After their betrayal and capture in 1944, Anne and her sister Margot were deported to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where they died of typhus in early 1945, just weeks before the camp's liberation. Her father, Otto Frank, the sole survivor of the immediate family, later ensured her diary was published, making her voice heard around the world.

Her diary, "The Diary of a Young Girl," is one of the most widely read books globally, a compulsory read for anyone who wants to understand the depths of human cruelty and the resilience of hope. It's a sobering reminder that while some kvell for achievements in science or arts, Anne's kvell-worthiness comes from her voice echoing across generations, demanding remembrance and vigilance.