Fritz Pfeffer

Fritz Pfeffer

Fritz Pfeffer (30 April 1889 – 20 December 1944) was a German dentist and Jewish refugee who is best known for hiding with Anne Frank and her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Pfeffer was the last occupant to join the eight people hiding in the secret annex of the building at 263 Prinsengracht, Amsterdam. In the published version of Anne Frank's diary, he is referred to as Albert Dussel.

Early Life

Fritz Pfeffer was born in Giessen, Germany, into a Jewish family. He served in the German army during World War I, after which he established a dental practice in Berlin. Pfeffer was married to Vera Bythiner, with whom he had a son named Werner. The rise of the Nazi Party and the increasing persecution of Jews in Germany led Pfeffer to make arrangements for his son to flee to England for safety in 1938. Following the Kristallnacht pogrom in November 1938, Pfeffer decided to emigrate to the Netherlands.

Life in Hiding

In 1942, as the situation for Jews in the Netherlands deteriorated further under Nazi occupation, Pfeffer went into hiding. He was initially sheltered by a Dutch family before joining the Frank and van Pels families in the secret annex behind Otto Frank's business premises in July of that year. Pfeffer shared a room with Anne Frank, a relationship that was marked by conflict, as depicted in Anne's diary.

Arrest and Death

On 4 August 1944, the secret annex was raided by the Gestapo following a tip-off from an anonymous informant. Pfeffer and the others were arrested and deported to the Westerbork transit camp before being sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Pfeffer was later transferred to the Neuengamme concentration camp, where he died on 20 December 1944, just a few months before the end of the war.

Legacy

Fritz Pfeffer's life and tragic death are remembered as part of the broader history of the Holocaust and the enduring impact of Anne Frank's diary. His experiences highlight the perilous conditions faced by Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe and the desperate measures they took to survive. Pfeffer's story is a testament to the human spirit's resilience in the face of unimaginable adversity.