- Helene Frank was the sister of Otto Frank, the mother of Buddy Elias and the aunt of Anne Frank.
- A first reunion with Otto took place in Basel on New Year's Day 1946. Six years later, in 1952, Otto moved into Leni's place and lived with the Elias family at Herbstgasse 11. There, in the attic room, he dedicated himself to the work from the increasing popularity of Anne's Diary.
- After three unsuccessful attempts, Leni and Erich Elias obtained Swiss citizenship in 1952. Leni continued to fund her whole family and the domestic staff with her antiques shop.
- Helene Frank was born in Frankfurt on 8 September 1893 as the youngest of Alice and Michael Frank's four children, a sister to Robert (1886), Otto (1889) and Herbert (1891). Her family called her Leni. Her parents placed great value on a good education, and like her three brothers Leni learned languages and attended private music lessons.
- The young couple lived in the house of Helene's widowed mother, Alice, as did Otto and Edith until 1927. Their son Stephan was born on 20 December 1921, and four years later Bernhard (Buddy) was born on 2 June 1925.
- When the First World War broke out in August 1914, the three brothers joined the German army, while Leni and her mother Alice volunteered in a Red Cross military hospital. Leni and her brother Otto kept up a close and heartfelt contact through letters, writing to each other about their wishes for the future and matters of the heart.
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