Anne Frank's Living Classmates: Ab Reiner (now Rinat)

Anne Frank Diary Reference : Anne's Living Classmates

Ab Reiner (now Rinat)

Name Ab Reiner (now Rinat)

Age 80

Civil status Married

Children 5

Training University-level Physics

What job did you want? After we returned from hiding, at 15-16 years old, none of us asked what we wanted to do or become. The possibilities had been limited and our aim was: as soon as possible, find a place in society and, as much as possible, catch up with what we’d missed. There was little place for ambition, preference, or even money.

What have you been doing? Physics professor in an Israeli university

Ab’s memories of Anne:

Anne was a fierce and skilled Monopoly player. To her, it was not a frivolous game of chance. It was a matter of hazardous strategy leading to rapid losses or glorious advantages. I do not venture to draw a conclusion from this about a facet of the game’s character.

Anne had a defective shoulder: the ball of her upper left arm did not fit well in her shoulder joint. The deviation often disappears in growing up, but before that is the case, the arm can slip from time to time. Bringing the arm back into place is frequently a painful matter, which a doctor performs without effort. Not the case with Anne, who seemed to find an art to fix it. The young lady collected a number of witnesses and without asking the price of admission to see this, removed her arm, and the end of her arm was clearly removed from the shoulder. Of course, her arm was not entirely free, but it was frightening enough. This seemed completely pain-free. I remind myself of her triumphant face: she obviously enjoyed being able to put on this show!

Next: André Coppenhagen

Name	Ab Reiner (now Rinat)
Age	80
Civil status	Married
Children	5
Training	University-level Physics
What job did you want?	After we returned from hiding, at 15-16 years old, none of us asked what we wanted to do or become. The possibilities had been limited and our aim was: as soon as possible, find a place in society and, as much as possible, catch up with what we’d missed. There was little place for ambition, preference, or even money.
What have you been doing?	Physics professor in an Israeli university
Ab’s memories of Anne: Anne was a fierce and skilled Monopoly player. To her, it was not a frivolous game of chance. It was a matter of hazardous strategy leading to rapid losses or glorious advantages. I do not venture to draw a conclusion from this about a facet of the game’s character. Anne had a defective shoulder: the ball of her upper left arm did not fit well in her shoulder joint. The deviation often disappears in growing up, but before that is the case, the arm can slip from time to time. Bringing the arm back into place is frequently a painful matter, which a doctor performs without effort. Not the case with Anne, who seemed to find an art to fix it. The young lady collected a number of witnesses and without asking the price of admission to see this, removed her arm, and the end of her arm was clearly removed from the shoulder. Of course, her arm was not entirely free, but it was frightening enough. This seemed completely pain-free. I remind myself of her triumphant face: she obviously enjoyed being able to put on this show!