Gabi Goslar, a name synonymous with resilience, is a survivor of the Holocaust and the younger sister of Hannah Pick-Goslar, one of Anne Frank’s closest friends. Her life story, intertwined with the tragedies of World War II and the Holocaust, represents the strength and perseverance of those who lived through one of history’s most horrifying periods. In this article, we delve into the life of Gabi Goslar, her experiences during the Holocaust, her connection to Anne Frank, and her life after surviving the atrocities.
Gabi Goslar Early Life and Family Background
Born as Rachel Gabriele Ida Goslar on October 25, 1940, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Gabi grew up in a Jewish family. Her parents, Hans and Ruth Judith Klee Goslar, fled Nazi Germany and moved to Amsterdam in 1933 to escape increasing persecution. Gabi’s family was a part of the Jewish community that had sought refuge in the Netherlands, hoping for a safer life.
Gabi’s older sister, Hannah Pick-Goslar, would become one of Anne Frank’s closest friends. The two sisters had a normal childhood until the outbreak of World War II, which dramatically altered their lives. Gabi’s childhood memories were overshadowed by the persecution that followed. She was only three years old when her family was torn apart by the Nazis. Her mother died in childbirth in 1942, and it was a traumatic loss that Gabi experienced at a young age.
The Holocaust: Life in Nazi Camps
In 1943, when Gabi was just three years old, her family was deported by the Nazis. Gabi, along with her sister Hannah and their father, was first sent to the Westerbork transit camp, which was a temporary holding station for Jews before their final deportation to other concentration camps. From Westerbork, the family was then transported to the notorious Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in February 1944, a camp located in Nazi-occupied Germany.
The Bergen-Belsen camp was a place of unimaginable suffering. Starvation, disease, and brutal conditions claimed the lives of many, and it was where Anne Frank would also end her life in 1945. Though Gabi was very young at the time, her memories of Bergen-Belsen would stay with her forever. She and her sister Hannah survived this hellish ordeal, though they lost many of their loved ones, including their grandparents.
Despite the appalling conditions, Gabi and her sister survived due to a combination of their resilience and the eventual liberation of the camp by British forces in April 1945. The sisters, as some of the few survivors, endured the unspeakable horrors and remained together in the aftermath of the war.
The Connection with Anne Frank
While Gabi herself did not have a direct, written connection with Anne Frank like her sister Hannah did, the Goslars were profoundly impacted by the tragic story of Anne. Hannah, Gabi’s older sister, was Anne Frank’s best friend before the war. In Anne’s famous diary, she refers to “Hanneli,” which was Hannah’s nickname. The Goslars and Anne shared a close friendship, and Gabi, although younger, was an integral part of that relationship.
Anne and the Goslars grew up in Amsterdam, and the girls attended the same school, forming a bond that was to last a lifetime, even though it was tragically cut short by the war. As the war progressed, Anne and her family went into hiding, and Gabi and her sister, along with their parents, faced their own struggles. Anne’s story, and that of her diary, would later become a global symbol of the horrors of the Holocaust, but it also linked the Goslar sisters forever with Anne’s legacy.
In the Bergen-Belsen camp, Gabi and her sister briefly encountered Anne, but the circumstances were dire. In February 1945, a few months before Anne’s death from typhus, Gabi’s sister Hannah saw Anne for the last time. This poignant moment remains a bittersweet part of Gabi’s story, as it links her family to one of the most enduring symbols of the Holocaust.
Gabi Goslar Post-War Life: A New Beginning
After the war, Gabi and Hannah found themselves among the few survivors of their family. The war had taken everything from them: their parents, grandparents, and the life they had known. However, they found solace in each other and began rebuilding their lives. The sisters emigrated to Israel in 1947, seeking a new beginning in the Jewish state, which had been established as a homeland for Jewish survivors of the Holocaust.
In Israel, Gabi and Hannah worked to reconstruct their lives. Gabi lived in Israel as part of the Jewish community, though she did not gain the public recognition that her sister Hannah did. Hannah went on to become a nurse and married Walter Pick, with whom she had children. Gabi’s life after the war was more private, with little information about her public engagements, but she continued to honor the memories of her family and the Holocaust.
Is Gabi Goslar Still Alive?
As of the last known records, there is no confirmed public documentation regarding Gabi Goslar’s death, and her exact status in recent years remains less widely known than her sister’s. However, based on the available information, it’s reasonable to infer that Gabi lived to a mature age. If she were alive today in 2026, Gabi would be 85 years old. Given her sister’s passing in 2022 at the age of 93, Gabi’s health and current whereabouts remain relatively private, but her story lives on.
The legacy of Gabi and Hannah Goslar, as Holocaust survivors, continues to resonate with many as it highlights not only the horrors of the Holocaust but the perseverance of individuals who survived it.
Conclusion
Gabi Goslar’s life story is a testament to the strength and resilience of Holocaust survivors. Though much of her life after the war remains less documented, her role as the younger sister of Hannah Pick-Goslar and as a survivor of the Holocaust places her among the many who lived through one of humanity’s darkest periods. Through her sister’s public recollections, Gabi’s story is preserved as part of the greater narrative of survival, loss, and remembrance. The Goslars’ survival and their connection to Anne Frank’s legacy remind us of the enduring need to honor the memory of the Holocaust and the lessons it teaches about human resilience and the fight against hatred.
Gabi Goslar, like so many survivors, may not have lived a public life, but her contribution to history is invaluable, and her story is one that should never be forgotten.
