Peter van Pels
other
November 8, 1926
Scorpio
May 5, 1945
18
Osnabruck, Germany
Peter van Pels was a German-Dutch Jewish refugee in Amsterdam during World War II. He is best known for his appearance in The Diary of Anne Frank as one of the eight occupants of the Secret Annex. Other works or achievements of Peter van Pels include working at his father’s company called Kolenhandel van Pels, having a strained relationship with Anne Frank, and being deported to Auschwitz concentration camp along with his family.
Peter van Pels got his name from his parents, Hermann and Auguste van Pels. His father, Hermann, was a businessman who owned a company called Kolenhandel van Pels, a coal trading company, in Germany. When the family fled Germany due to the Nazi persecution of Jews, they changed their last name from “Pelz” to “van Pels” to sound more Dutch.
One lesser-known fact about Peter van Pels is that he was particularly fond of animals, particularly cats. During the time that he and his family were living in the Secret Annex, they kept several cats, including one named Mouschi, who often slept on Peter’s bed. Anne Frank noted in her diary that Peter took great care of Mouschi and would often play with the cat to pass the time.
