This exhibition, located at the Center for Jewish History in Manhattan, marks the first occasion a full-scale model of the annex has been constructed outside of Amsterdam, where the actual annex is an integral part of the Anne Frank House museum.
Unlike the original annex, which is purposefully left empty to reflect its historic significance, the New York version showcases the five rooms as they appeared while the Frank family and others were in hiding.
The recreated spaces are adorned with furniture and personal belongings, including a reproduction of the writing desk where Anne Frank created her diary.
Ronald Leopold, director of the Anne Frank House, expressed the importance of furnishing the exhibit to narrate Anne’s experiences in a more engaging and immersive manner, especially for individuals who may never have the opportunity to visit the museum in Amsterdam, home to Frank’s original diary.
“We truly aspire to touch the hearts of visitors, as education is central to this exhibition,” Leopold remarked during the opening. “Education begins with empathy—empathy for what transpired here, in Amsterdam during those years, and the experiences endured by Anne Frank.”
The Frank family, along with other Jews, sought refuge in Otto Frank’s office attic in Amsterdam for over two years while the Nazis occupied the Netherlands during World War II.
In 1944, they were discovered and sent to concentration camps, including Auschwitz-Birkenau, which was liberated by Soviet forces 80 years ago on the same day. Tragically, Anne and her sister Margot succumbed to typhus at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945.
Otto Frank was the sole survivor from the annex. Following the war, he published his daughter’s diary, which has since become one of the most significant literary works of the 20th century. Otto passed away in 1980 at the age of 91.
Hannah-Milena Elias, granddaughter of Anne Frank’s cousin Buddy Elias, expressed her emotions as she walked through the exhibit.
“It is immensely overwhelming and profoundly touching to observe the constrained space that families occupied for more than two years,” shared the 29-year-old resident of Switzerland.
Her sibling, Leyb-Anouk Elias, hopes the exhibit inspires visitors to contemplate the challenges of discrimination and the plight of minorities today.
“History, unfortunately, tends to repeat itself in various forms,” the 27-year-old residing in Berlin remarked. “We must be vigilant in our actions to ensure that such atrocities are never repeated.”
The New York exhibition, which will be open until April 30, occupies over 7,500 square feet and features more than 100 photographs and artifacts, many of which have never been publicly displayed before, as stated by officials.
Included in the exhibit are Anne Frank’s first photo album and her handwritten poetry, as well as a replica of her acclaimed diary. Nearly 80 translated editions of her diary and the Oscar awarded to Shelley Winters for her role in the 1959 film “The Diary of Anne Frank” are also part of the installation.
The exhibit chronicles the Frank family’s journey from life in Germany through the rise of the Nazi regime, their flight to Amsterdam, their life in hiding, and their eventual capture.
Henry Byrne, a junior at Xavier High School in Manhattan, stated that understanding the family’s story has deepened his comprehension of the Holocaust’s magnitude.
“It revealed to me that witnessing one individual’s experience, symbolized in these rooms filled with beds and tables, represents just a fraction of the countless lives that were lost,” the 16-year-old reflected.
