Groundbreaking Exhibition featuring Anne Frank’s Annex to open in NYC

As a nonprofit helping to shape global understanding of the Holocaust and its contemporary relevance, including lessons on modern day antisemitism, racism, and discrimination, the Anne Frank House is entrusted with the preservation of the Annex where Anne Frank and her family hid during World War II. This exhibition, presented at the Center for Jewish History in Manhattan, opens on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27, 2025, to mark the 80th commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Anne Frank The Exhibition is a first-of-its-kind, full-scale recreation of the Annex, furnished as it would have been when Anne and her family were forced into hiding. Visitors will be introduced to the context that shaped Anne’s life—from her early years in Frankfurt, Germany through the rise of the Nazi regime and the family’s move to Amsterdam in 1934, where Anne lived until her 1944 arrest and deportation to Westerbork, a large transit camp in the Netherlands, then to Auschwitz-Birkenau, a concentration camp and killing center in Nazi-occupied Poland, and eventually to her death at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany when she was 15 years old.

Designed for audiences who may not have the opportunity to visit the Netherlands, the exhibition will be among the most important presentations of Jewish historical content on view in the United States. Immersing visitors in place and history through video, sound, photography, and animation, more than 100 original items from the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam will provide an opportunity to learn about Anne Frank, not as a victim but through the multifaceted lens of her life—as a girl, a writer, and a symbol of resilience and strength. Anne Frank The Exhibition is a story inspired by one of the most translated books in the world.

Reconstruction (2020) of Anne Frank's room, her writing desk where she wrote her famous diary

The exhibition will occupy over 7,500 square feet in the heart of Union Square. This marks the first time dozens of artifacts will be seen in the United States—many have never been seen in public.

Ronald Leopold, Executive Director of the Anne Frank House, said: “Anne Frank's words resonate and inspire today, a voice we carry to all corners of the world, nearly eight decades later. As a custodian of Anne’s legacy, we have an obligation to help world audiences understand the historical roots and evolution of antisemitism, including how it fueled Nazi ideology that led to the Holocaust. Anne’s legacy is remarkable, as represented in the diary she left us, and as one of the 1.5 million Jewish children who were murdered at the hands of Nazi officials and their collaborators. Through this exhibition, the Anne Frank House offers insights into how this could have happened and what it means for us today. The exhibition provides perspectives, geared toward younger generations, that are certain to deepen our collective understanding of Anne Frank and hopefully provide a better understanding of ourselves. By bringing this exhibition to New York—a place with many ties to Anne’s story— the Anne Frank House is expanding the reach of our work to encourage more people to remember Anne Frank, reflect on her life story, and respond by standing against antisemitism and hatred in their own communities.”

Dr. Gavriel Rosenfeld, President of the Center for Jewish History, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to host this landmark exhibition. As we approach the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in January, Anne Frank’s story becomes more urgent than ever. In a time of rising antisemitism, her diary serves as both a warning and a call to action, reminding us of the devastating impact of hatred. This exhibition challenges us to confront these dangers head-on and honor the memory of those lost in the Holocaust.”