Anne Frank's Legacy

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.”