I can remember reading The Diary of Anne Frank for
school. I can’t remember exactly what
grade it was or what teacher assigned it but I remember that it left me
changed. Since then, I have been
fascinated with reading any stories, fiction or non-fiction that have the
tragedies of the World Wars or the Holocaust in the background.
In the few times I have been in Amsterdam in my life, I have
never visited the Anne Frank House Museum.
Mainly because there is always a really long line… as there was this
weekend as well!
But this trip I had time! Today I had the privilege of
walking through the home that Anne Frank and her family lived in as well the
small space they were hidden in for years that they called, the annex.
As we walked through the house my heart broke again as I
recalled stories from her diary as I glimpsed at pictures from her childhood
that ended so soon when a Nazi knocked on their door after being tipped off
that they were hiding.
On one wall were
these words written by Anne, “I know what I want, I have a goal, I have
opinions, a religion and love.” I couldn’t
help but think what we could all accomplish if we had only these!
Anne Frank’s father, Otto, was the only member of his family
that survived. His wife and daughters and many friends were lost to him behind
the fences of concentration camps.
One of the things that most moved me in the time I spent in
this place was a video of Anne’s father, sharing why he published her
journal. He said that it took him a long
time to read it, because they were her private thoughts. He was so sincere in his love for his
daughter and in the words he spoke, and it made me think of the sacrifice we
often have to pay to leave a legacy.
Anne wanted to be a writer. She dreamed of writing books
after the war was over. Her father made
her dream come true and this family has left an immeasurable legacy. Anne’s thoughts and words have given us a unique
and personal look at the holocaust. I
can’t imagine how painful it was to lose everyone he cared about and then to
relive his youthful daughter’s hopes and dreams as he personally translated her
journal for Swiss relatives.
I am so grateful he did.
Otto has been quoted as saying, “I believe that it’s everyone’s
responsibility to fight prejudice.” I know that for me, The Diary of Anne Frank
ignited in my young heart a desire to do whatever it would take to fight
prejudice and injustice. I know I am not
the only one.
I will leave you with the power words of this young girl, “How
wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to
improve the world.”
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