A Young Girl’s Legacy of Hope, Courage and Resilience Honored in the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center Planting of a Sapling From Anne Frank’s Tree at the Garden of Remembrance
On June 13, 1944, Anne Frank wrote in The Diary of a Young Girl:
“It’s not just my imagination – looking at the sky, the clouds, the moon and the stars really does make me feel calm and hopeful…Nature makes me feel humble and ready to face every blow with courage!”
Imagine a teen finding solace and peace peering out at a majestic chestnut tree, and in her world famous diary expressing her love and admiration for the tree and for the many wonders of nature, and also her firm belief in the goodness of human beings and the world. And knowing Anne Frank’s ultimate fate, imagining that might break your heart.
But it also might give you reason for hope, perhaps the kind of hope Anne Frank so dearly held on to and with the utmost courage.
Anne Frank’s legacy has largely revolved around her firm faith in humankind. The focus on her love of nature may be less well known but it was always heartfelt and beautifully expressed.
To honor that legacy, The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center (HHREC) held a ceremony for the planting of a sapling from a tree located outside the window Anne Frank wrote about in her diary at the Garden of Remembrance in White Plains, where about 100 gathered to witness this historic event and to listen to a series of remarks surrounding the June 11 dedication.
HHREC was recently chosen as one of six organizations in the U.S. to receive a sapling by the Anne Frank Center USA.
“We are honored to be entrusted with the sapling, a living memorial symbolizing hope, courage and resilience. It is our hope that the tree stands strong for many years to come so that future generations understand its meaning and splendor,” said Millie Jasper, HHREC executive director.
In welcome remarks, the HHREC’s chairperson Michael Gyory shared that his mother was about the same age as Anne and survived Auschwitz at the same time Anne was captive there. He wondered if perhaps the two 15 year olds met… But regardless, “They’re certainly bonded together by the horrors of the Holocaust; both transported out of Auschwitz leaving behind their mothers who would die there…. “Although times were difficult and sometimes cruel, at least my mother had the opportunity to see the birth of three children and eight grandchildren. I like to think of myself as one of Anne’s children.”
Westchester County Executive George Latimer said when he listens to the sound of children at play in the distance, he thinks of the innocence of children in that period… “and how they could not grasp what we in the adult world knew what was happening.”
“People who died in the concentration camps, Jewish and non Jewish alike, were cheated out of the joy of life–graduations, bar mitzvahs, holy communions and confirmations,” Latimer added. “By planting a tree, which will outlive the vast majority of us, we are making a statement of hope that there is a future in which that tree will grow and flourish in the same way that the children in the distance will grow and flourish… as a matter of faith and hope.
While rescue didn’t come fast enough for Anne, “we do believe in the long run righteousness will prevail.”
Latimer recalled the allied armed forces who saved victims of the Holocaust. “Let that tree remind us as it grows the sacrifices made then… and rise above our own experience through the shared suffering of all of us to commit to the peace of all of us.”
Eva Wyner, Deputy Director of Jewish Affairs at the NYS Executive Chamber and a 3rd generation Holocaust survivor, shared her family’s harrowing story and offered that a sapling grown from the tree Anne Frank loved is a living memorial and a symbol of hope, resilience and the enduring human spirit. She said that she has “always s felt a visceral connection to Anne Frank due to her connection to Holland, and the parallel experiences in my own family history… I have a profound sense of gratitude to be alive today and share my grandmother’s story.”
In additional remarks, speakers recalled the madness and evil that overtook Holland and the impact on their families and communities. They expressed gratitude to the Anne Frank Center and to the HHREC for helping to keep Anne Frank’s legacy alive. These remarks were from Lauren Bairnsfather, CEO Anne Frank Center USA, and Fred Polak, descendant of Dutch Holocaust Survivors.
The dedication included Olivia Konteatis reading of passages pertaining to Anne Frank’s adoration of nature from The Diary of Anne Frank.
In Tales from the Secret Annex, on March 26, 1944, Anne wrote:
“How wonderful it is that no one has to wait but can start right now to gradually change the world! How wonderful it is that everyone, great and small, can immediately help bring about justice by giving of themselves!”
Following the remarks, many lined up for a chance to view and photograph the sapling and the accompanying memorial.
The Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in White Plains New York that serves schools, synagogues, colleges, churches and civic centers in Westchester and the greater Hudson Valley area. The HHREC Mission is to enhance the teaching and learning of the lessons of the Holocaust and the right of all people to be treated with dignity and respect. HHREC works with teachers and students to help schools fulfill the New York State mandate that the Holocaust and other human rights abuses be included in their curriculum. Since 1994, the HHREC has brought the lessons of the Holocaust, genocide and human rights violations to more than 3,000 teachers, and through them to thousands of students. For more information visit www.hhrecny.org call 914.696.0738 email info@hhrecny.org
