“In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”
These are the words that Anne Frank wrote in her diary on July 15th, 1944.
Last week, Thursday, June 12th, marked Anne’s 96th birthday.
Regretfully, she only lived until the age of 15.
Yet her captivating personal story continues to move people around the world today.
And her legacy is also the reason we are here together, on this day.
We gather in front of this tree which grew from a sapling of the horse chestnut tree.
That grew outside the attic. Where Anne and her family hid for two years from the Nazis before they were betrayed.
Anne got transported on the last train from Westerbork to Bergen Belsen, on September 3rd, 1944.
She was among the one and a half million children who did not survive the Holocaust but her story lives on through the diary she left behind.
Reading The Diary of Anne Frank is an unforgettable experience.
You open the pages and find the honest voice of a teenage girl. Full of dreams, doubts, hopes and frustrations.
Anne does not write as a distant figure from the past, but rather as a friend.
Sharing her deep thoughts and feelings across time.
When I read Anne’s diary I recall being struck by the perceived normalcy of aspects of her life.
She fought with her parents, worried about growing up, and dreamt of becoming a writer.
But then I would remember how far from normal … her situation in hiding really was.
How every movement could give her away, even a creak too loud of the floorboard.
Anne teaches us the strength of resilience in the face of darkness.
And that, regardless of circumstance, we can make a positive difference for those around us.
To quote Anne:
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
Anne’s diary is more than a book. It’s a conversation about courage and a lesson in empathy.
It reveals the power of the pen and how words can unite humanity.
Her story matters.
In 2009, at the request of the Netherlands, Anne’s diary was included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.
A couple years ago, I visited the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam with my husband and daughters.
We were deeply moved to see the attic with our own eyes and imagine her hiding in those small rooms.
As you may know, there is currently an exposition, here in New York City at the Center of Jewish History where visitors can enter replicas of the rooms where Anne lived.
For those interested, this exhibition is on display until October 31st.
Learning from the past is important.
Especially at a time like this when antisemitism is on the rise in many places around the world, unfortunately including in the Netherlands.
This is why open and inclusive dialogue between all communities is necessary.
Education, civil society, and interfaith and intercultural initiatives are vital in reducing polarization and building cohesion.
A better shared future has no room for antisemitism, intolerance or any kind
of hatred.
On April 5th, 1944, Anne wrote in her diary:
“I wish to go on living, even after my death”.
Let’s make her wish come true and use her face and voice to amplify the untold stories of the one and a half million children whose lives were cut short during the Second World War. And ever since.
Because they are not just statistics, but human beings. Like you and me.