To commemorate what would have been Anne Frank’s 96th birthday, Anne Frank the Exhibition is launching a special initiative this summer aimed at expanding access to her story and deepening public engagement with her legacy.
Titled “Summer of Reflection: The Legacy of Anne Frank,” the citywide campaign is a collaboration between NYC Public Schools, all three of New York City’s public library systems, and the Union Square Partnership. Beginning Thursday, June 12, the initiative will distribute 10,000 free copies of Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, with a particular focus on reaching young readers.
This large-scale donation effort is sponsored by Bank of America and the UJA Federation of New York. Additional details about participating library branches are yet to be announced.
As part of the broader campaign, Anne Frank The Exhibition—presented by the Anne Frank House and currently on view at the Center for Jewish History—has been extended through October 31, 2025, following an overwhelming public response. The exhibit initially sold out its limited run within just one week of opening.
The exhibition marks a historic first: it features the only scale recreation of the Anne Frank House’s Secret Annex ever displayed outside of Amsterdam. The immersive experience allows visitors to walk through a detailed reproduction of the space where Anne Frank, her family, and four others lived in hiding for two years during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
Visitors experience an immersive storytelling of Frank’s tragic life, told through the lens of the young writer. This includes Frank’s younger years spent in Frankfurt through the rise of the Nazi party, to her familys phased move to Amsterdam from 1933 to 1934, where she lived for ten years until she was arrested in 1944, deported and eventually sent to Auschwitz-Birkeanu, a concentration camp and killing center in Nazi-occupied Poland. Frank died at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany when she was 15.
Free admission will be available during extended hours on select Fridays through August, on a first-come, first-served basis. The admission is available for up to 250 people who are public library cardholders with the Queens, Brooklyn, or New York Public Library systems. The first free admission event is on Friday, June 13, from 2:45 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Participating agencies in the book distribution efforts will also give away a select number of free tickets to NYC youngsters in an effort to promote learning about Frank’s life and legacy and combat hate and Antisemitism.
Ronald Leopold, executive director of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, explained how Anne Frank’s diary holds significance beyond its status as an important historical document. “Her words inspire us to confront injustice and to promote tolerance and human dignity. By distributing thousands of copies of her diary and expanding access to the exhibition, we are reaffirming our commitment to education and remembrance,” Leopold said.
Leopold added that it is vital for as many people as possible to hear Frank’s unforgettable message, which is relevant today as antisemitism is on the rise. “It is what her father, Otto Frank, sought to achieve in his dedicated and courageous pursuit of the Diary’s publication,” he said.
“To help preserve and broaden access to Anne’s story, we were thrilled to expand our sponsorship of Anne Frank The Exhibition through this book distribution,” said José Tavarez, president of Bank of America New York City. “This added element of access will help to widen efforts, engaging a younger generation to learn about Anne’s life and writings, her experiences, and resiliency.”
Dr. Gavriel Rosenfeld, president of the Center for Jewish History, echoed Leopold’s point that Frank’s diary holds relevance today. Rosenfeld said the book is essential for young New Yorkers to understand how her story is “a powerful mirror reflecting the dangers of antisemitism and hatred that persist in our world.” “Her words compel us to confront bigotry with humanity and to replace silence with courage. As we mark what would have been her 96th birthday, the Center for Jewish History invites everyone to engage deeply with her legacy through Anne Frank The Exhibition—and join us in mobilizing Jewish history to confront and overcome the forces of hate threatening our communities today,” he said.
Brooklyn Pubilc Library President and CEO Linda E. Johnson, New York Public Library President and CEO Anthony W. Marx, and Queens Public Library President and CEO Dennis M. Walcott gave a joint statement, sharing that New York City’s library systems are grateful for the opportunity to distribute Anne Frank’s diary throughout the public library system. “By sharing with thousands of New Yorkers the story of Anne Frank and the history she captured in her own voice, which is as vital today as when it was originally published, we hope to inspire young readers to deepen their understanding and experience both the joy and importance of reading,” they said.
Eric S. Goldstein, CEO of the UJA-Federation of New York, added that young people have the opportunity to connect personally with Frank’s story, which voiced her hopes and fears as she and her family faced unimaginable hatred. “Particularly now, at a time of sharply rising hatred targeting the Jewish community, our hope is that young readers will be inspired to stand up to hate, to find courage in the face of adversity, and to believe in the power of their own voices,” Goldstein said.
“In the face of rising antisemitism around the country and world, it is critical that we take steps across our city to combat hate and intolerance. Anne Frank’s story is one of hope, humanity, and courage, and it belongs in our classrooms and in our communities as a key part of this work,” said New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos. “ I am confident that the distribution of 10,000 copies of her diary will leave a lasting impact on our young people, just as it did on my own students when I was a high school English teacher.”
“Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl,” more widely known as “The Diary of Anne Frank”, is one of the most translated books in the world. After Frank and her family were arrested in 1944, Miep Gies, one of the people who risked their lives to help them in hiding, returned to the Annex and found Frank’s diary pages.
Frank’s father, Otto, was the only person from the Annex to survive the Holocaust, and after some encouragement from his friends and relatives, he published his daughter’s diary. Upon publication, Otto wrote, “How proud Anne would have been if she had lived to see this,” as on March 29, 1944, Anne had written, “Imagine how interesting it would be if I published a novel about Secret Annex.”
For more information about Anne Frank: The Exhibition, click here. Tickets available at AnneFrankExhibit.org
