New exhibit recreates hiding place of Anne Frank in NYC
NEW YORK (PIX11) – With antisemitism on the rise in the U.S., a powerful new exhibit is scheduled to open here in New York on International Holocaust Remembrance Day in two weeks.
For the first time in this country, visitors will be able to visit a full-scale recreation of the annex where Anne Frank and her family hid from the nazis during World War II.
Anne Frank was a teenage girl who became a symbol of resilience and strength during the holocaust. She died in a concentration camp, but her writings inspired one of the most translated books in the world. Her legacy is about to live on in an exhibit at the Center of Jewish History in Union Square.
Organizers say the exhibition is a beacon of remembrance—a beacon of education, and a beacon of awareness.
At the Center for Jewish History in Union Square, visitors will be able to walk through a full-scale recreation of the annex where Anne Frank and her family hid from the nazis in Amsterdam for two years.
Ronald Leopold, executive director of the Anne Frank House, said, "An exhibition like this serves as a powerful reminder of confronting hate through education and understanding."
Honoring International Holocaust Remembrance Day and commemorating the 80th observance of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, the exhibit will immerse visitors in a place in history through video, photos, and more than 100 original items from the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam.
Leopold says, "The recreated hiding place offers an intimate glimpse into Anne's life, the world, and her legacy."
With this new exhibition, the Anne Frank House seeks to expand its reach and educational impact during a rising antisemitism. Three hundred and fifty schools have already committed to visiting, and organizers hope to reach 250,000 students during the exhibit's run.
Doyle Stevick, executive director of the Anne Frank Center at the University of South Carolina, helped develop the exhibit's educational program.
"Our job with the curriculum is to ensure that kids, if they're not already interested in Anne Frank, that there are universal themes in this exhibit that everyone's interested in."
Leopold says, "When students learn to identify hate, they learn to confront it with empathy and critical thinking. They will become part of the solution. They gain the tools to build bridges."
Organizers say this exhibit is about the past and what’s happening now. The Anne Frank exhibit opens on January 27 and will run until April 30.