Hiding place

A visit to Anne Frank’s “Secret Annex”

October 9, 2008

Articles, Nu Magazine - October 9, 2008

Looking out a small window onto the Prinsengracht Canal in Amsterdam, it finally hits me where exactly I am.

I am in the “Secret Annex,” home to Anne Frank, a small hidden apartment in which eight Jews hid during the Holocaust, helped by three Righteous Gentiles. This group hid for over two years before being arrested by the Gestapo.

I am surrounded by people of every age, race, and religion; I am amazed by their diversity.

After hearing Anne’s name hundreds of times, I am finally here, a place full of history and emotion. I have learned about the occupants of the Secret Annex countless times, even saw a play telling their story, and read Anne’s diary too.

It seems so real, the days they spent sitting silently in order to survive.

Anne received a diary as a gift just before the Frank family went into hiding. She kept a journal of her time in hiding, and also wrote about the goings-on around the Annex. Anne wrote with such insight and maturity for a young girl.

Otto Frank’s jam-making company occupied the front of the building. The company’s offices were on the second floor, and toward the back of the building, on the second and third floors, was the Secret Annex.

As I walk through the museum, I read quotes taken from Anne’s diary mounted on the walls. The quotes describe each room as we walk through the building. Memorabilia from the occupants of the house, as well as from the Holocaust in general, are displayed in glass cases.

The quotes voice Anne’s opinions and describe what went on in each room. We walk through the offices, a store room, and a warehouse. A bookcase swivels into the center of a hallway. I look around the bookcase and see a dark, steep staircase that leads to the Secret Annex.

I climb the stairs and come out in what looks like a small apartment that could comfortably house two or three people. Then I remember: eight people lived here for over two years.

It strikes me how difficult it must have been to live here in total silence during work hours, while knowing how much danger they were in, as well as the risk their non-Jewish accomplices faced.

So many people hid during the Holocaust and perished just for being Jewish.

Growing up as a Jewish teen, I have heard so many Holocaust stories. Seeing the reality of these stories in a museum was very emotional for me.

I finally saw a place I have learned so much about.

The day we visited the Anne Frank House, the museum was crowded with teens participating in the People to People international travel program. Every day hundreds of people of all races, ages, and religions visit the Anne Frank House and most are as moved as I was by the experience.

This museum made the horrors of the Holocaust much more real.

It also made me appreciate the freedom and privilege I have as an American Jewish teen.

Adina Wells, 15, attends Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union.

Since not everyone is lucky enough to visit Amsterdam, the Anne Frank House develops educational materials about Anne Frank, World War II, anti-Semitism, and discrimination, all of which help to increase tolerance and decrease prejudice in our world. For more information, visit annefrank.org.