As life grew more dangerous for Dutch Jews during the German occupation, Otto Frank put a plan in motion to save his family from the Nazis. In early 1941, he began converting an unutilized annex attached to the rear of his office building into a suitable living space where they could hide out until the war ended. Electricity, water and gas were installed and the one toilet was repaired for use. With the help of Johannes Kleiman, Opekta’s managing director and Otto’s longtime confidante, the Franks’ clothing, dishes, bedding and other personal belongings were covertly moved from their apartment to the annex, along with stockpiles of food. Kleiman’s brother Willy, who ran a cleaning business, also reqularly stopped by the family’s home to pick up one or two pieces of furniture to be “refurbished, but instead would bring them to the secret hiding place. By summer 1942, as more Jews were deported from the Netherlands to Nazi concentration camps, Otto’s plan was complete-and his family had a shelter in place should they need to flee at a moment’s notice.
