Hermann VAN DAAN

Hermann Van Daan was a balding, middle-aged man who lived in Amsterdam with his wife and two children during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. He was a smoker and a pipe enthusiast, and he often spent his time reading the newspaper or listening to the radio. When the Nazis began rounding up Jews, the Van Daans went into hiding in an annex of a house owned by Otto Frank. They lived there for two years, during which time Hermann worked as a bookkeeper for Otto. In 1944, the annex was raided by the Nazis and the Van Daans were arrested. They were sent to Auschwitz, where Hermann died of typhus. His wife and children survived the war and immigrated to the United States. Hermann Van Daan was a complex and contradictory figure. He was a loving father and husband, but he was also a smoker and a drinker. He was intelligent and resourceful, but he was also often lazy and pessimistic. Despite his flaws, Hermann Van Daan was a survivor. He endured the horrors of the Holocaust and lived to tell his story. His story is a reminder of the strength of the human spirit and the power of hope.