AMSTERDAM — A replica of the secret annex where young Jewish diarist Anne Frank and her family sought refuge during World War II is set to make its way to New York.

This full-scale model of the rooms central to the Anne Frank House museum located along Amsterdam’s historic canals is currently being constructed in the Netherlands. It will travel across the ocean for a display named “Anne Frank The Exhibition” at the Center for Jewish History in Manhattan.

Ronald Leopold, director of the Anne Frank House, expressed excitement about this event, stating, “This is the first time that we will offer what I consider to be an innovative experience outside of Amsterdam. Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in a detailed recreation of the secret annex where Anne Frank, her family, and four others spent over two years hiding from the Nazis.”

In July 1942, 13-year-old Anne Frank along with her parents, Otto and Edith, and her older sister, Margo, entered hiding in this annex. Soon after, they were joined by the van Pels family — Hermann, Auguste, and their son, Peter, who was 15 at the time. Four months later, another individual, Fritz Pfeffer, joined them to escape the Nazi regime.

The group remained hidden until they were betrayed in 1944 and deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Following this, Anne and Margo were transferred to Bergen-Belsen, where they tragically died of typhus in February 1945; Anne was just 15 years old.

Otto Frank, the sole survivor from the annex, published Anne’s diary after the war, which became an international sensation and a powerful symbol of hope amid oppression.

Leopold emphasized that the exhibit in New York is designed to be “an immersive, interactive, captivating experience” for guests. It is scheduled to open on January 27, coinciding with International Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking the 80th anniversary of Auschwitz’s liberation.

The exhibition will feature the meticulously recreated rooms while also chronicling Anne’s family history, including their life in Germany, migration to the Netherlands, their decision to go into hiding, and the events that led to their capture, deportation, and the eventual publishing of Anne’s diary by her father.

Leopold noted, “The goal of this exhibition is to present Anne not only as a victim but as a multifaceted individual — as a teenager, as a writer, and as a symbol of resilience. We hope visitors will reflect on the context of her life.”

This exhibition comes at a crucial time when antisemitism is on the rise amidst the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has also influenced tensions with the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon following the catastrophic Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.