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Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl is one of the most translated books in the world, but that doesn't mean all New Yorkers are familiar with this important text. To help share Anne Frank's story, 10,000 copies of her book are being given away to students and families throughout New York City this summer.
In addition, Anne Frank The Exhibition will open its doors for free admission starting from 2:45pm through 5pm on Friday, June 13. Additional free visit opportunities will be available to visit the Union Square exhibition on select days this summer.
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The giveaways are part of an initiative called Summer of Reflection: The Legacy of Anne Frank, which began today on what would have been Anne Frank's 96th birthday. The programming is presented by Anne Frank The Exhibition at the Center for Jewish History in Union Square in partnership with NYC Public Schools and all three New York City public library systems.
Her words inspire us to confront injustice and to promote tolerance and human dignity.
In case you aren't familiar, Anne Frank's diary is a firsthand account of a Jewish girl's life in hiding during the Nazi occupation. Her father, Otto Frank, was the only member of the family to survive the Holocaust and he decided to share his daughter's writing to honor her memory.
"Anne Frank’s diary is not just a historical document; it is a beacon of hope and a call to action," said Ronald Leopold, Executive Director of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, which organized the New York City exhibition. "Her words inspire us to confront injustice and to promote tolerance and human dignity."
Free books
Educators and exhibition staff began handing out books today and will continue to do so all summer with the goal of reaching young readers to keep Anne's story accessible for future generations. The New York Public Library, Queens Public Library, and Brooklyn Public Library will continue to distribute the books all summer. The book giveaway is made possible by Bank of America and UJA-Federation of New York.
It is vital that Anne's message reaches as many people as possible.
"By distributing thousands of copies of her diary and expanding access to the exhibition, we are reaffirming our commitment to education and remembrance," Leopold continued in his statement. "It is vital that Anne's message reaches as many people as possible, especially in today’s world where antisemitism and group hatred is on the rise and the lessons of history must never be forgotten. It is what her father, Otto Frank, sought to achieve in his dedicated and courageous pursuit of the Diary's publication."
Free admission
The renowned Anne Frank House in Amsterdam brought Anne Frank The Exhibition to New York City. It's the first time New Yorkers can experience a full-scale recreation of the annex rooms where Anne Frank, her parents and sister, and four other Jews spent two years hiding to evade Nazi capture.
The exhibit opened in January of this year and sold out its limited run within one week. After that, the exhibition extended its run date through October 31, 2025. You can get in for free on Friday, June 13 (2:45pm–5pm). Plus, local library card holders can get free admission on select Friday afternoons in July and August, starting on July 11 and running through Labor Day. Admission is offered first-come, first-served for up to 250 people.
Her words compel us to confront bigotry with humanity and to replace silence with courage.
The exhibition offers a chance to move through Anne's life—from her early years in Frankfurt through the rise of the Nazi regime and the family’s phased move to Amsterdam across 1933 and 1934, where Anne lived for ten years 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.
Artifacts include Anne Frank’s first photo album (1929-1942); a handwritten invitation she sent to a friend; and handwritten verses in her friends' poetry albums.
"Anne's story is a powerful mirror reflecting the dangers of antisemitism and hatred that persist in our world," Gavriel Rosenfeld, President of the Center for Jewish History, said in a statement. "Her words compel us to confront bigotry with humanity and to replace silence with courage."