Photo credit: www.smithsonianmag.com

New Exhibition to Present Anne Frank’s Legacy in New York

During the turmoil of World War II, Anne Frank, a Jewish girl, and her family found refuge in a concealed space in Amsterdam for over two years, seeking to escape the Nazi regime. It was during this clandestine period that Anne penned her now-celebrated diary, capturing her thoughts and experiences in a world fraught with fear.

Since its establishment in the 1950s by her father, Otto Frank, the Anne Frank House museum has become a significant site of remembrance, attracting over 1.2 million visitors annually. This biographical museum offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of the Frank family during their years in hiding.

Now, a groundbreaking event is set to take place. For the first time, a complete replica of the secret annex will be created and displayed outside of the Netherlands. “Anne Frank the Exhibition” will launch at the Center for Jewish History in New York City on January 27, 2025, aligning with International Holocaust Remembrance Day and commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

The exhibition will span 7,500 square feet and guide visitors through key moments in Anne’s early life, beginning in Frankfurt. Through the use of over 100 original artifacts and digital media, it will shed light on the rise of the Nazis and recount Otto Frank’s journey after the war.

While the true secret annex remains unadorned at Otto Frank’s request, the New York replica will feature some of the actual furnishings belonging to the Frank family.

Ronald Leopold, executive director of the Anne Frank House, expressed optimism that the exhibit would engage audiences unfamiliar with Anne’s story, drawing them into a deeper understanding of her historical context and personal experiences. As he remarked, this exhibit represents a unique opportunity for education and reflection.

After being constructed in the Netherlands, the replica will be transported to New York. However, Anne’s original diary will not be included due to its delicate condition. “We unfortunately will not be able to travel with the diary, writings, the notebooks and the loose sheets that Anne wrote,” Leopold explained to the Associated Press. “They are too fragile, too vulnerable to travel.”

Anne Frank was born in 1929 in Frankfurt to Otto and Edith Frank. The political climate shifted dramatically when Adolf Hitler assumed chancellorship of Germany in 1933, intensifying the persecution of Jewish families such as hers. In the mid-1930s, the Frank family relocated to the Netherlands to flee escalating violence.

In July 1942, following an order for Anne’s older sister, Margot, to report to a labor camp, the family chose to go into hiding. They stayed in the secret annex located at Prinsengracht 263, which adjoined Otto Frank’s business premises. The space soon became home to eight individuals, including the van Pels family and dentist Fritz Pfeffer, and remained their sanctuary for over two years, thanks to the support of friends who provided essential supplies.

On August 4, 1944, the family’s hiding place was discovered in a police raid, leading to the arrest of all occupants. Anne and Margot ended up in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where they perished around March 1945, shortly before the camp’s liberation. Their mother, Edith Frank, was killed in Auschwitz earlier that same year.

Otto Frank emerged as the sole survivor among his family. He received Anne’s writings from Miep Gies, one of the helpers who had sheltered them. Initially hesitant to read his daughter’s diary, he found himself deeply moved by her words and began sharing them with others. Two years post-war, Anne’s diary was published in Dutch and has since been translated into numerous languages, becoming a global symbol of the human spirit amid adversity.

The upcoming exhibition aims to highlight the enduring impact of Anne Frank’s life, emphasizing her multifaceted identity as a teenage girl, a budding writer, and a beacon of resilience. As Leopold noted, the exhibition hopes to encourage visitors to reflect upon the historical context that shaped her existence.

“Anne Frank the Exhibition” will run from January 27, 2025, to April 30, 2025, at the Center for Jewish History in Manhattan, New York.