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Garden of Remembrance

A Tree Grows in White Plains

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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.”

Michael Gyory, chairperson, Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center

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.

Westchester County Executive George Latimer  Photo by Raya Cottrell Photography

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.”

Eva Wyner, Deputy Director Jewish Affairs at New York State Executive Chamber

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

Millie Jasper, Executive Director, Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center with Dr. Lauren Bairnsfather, CEO, Anne Fank Center USA Photo by Raya Cottrell Photography
Assemblyman Chris Burdick and HHREC board member Daniel Weinreb
Fred Polak, child of Dutch Holocaust survivors
Reading from The Diary of Anne Frank by Olivia Konteatis
Sapling from the Anne Frank Chestnut Tree planted in a dedication from the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center at the Garden of Remembrance
 Gathering for the HHREC dedication of an Anne Frank Sapling (L to R): NY State Senator Shelley Mayer, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, NY State Deputy Director of Jewish Affairs Eva Wyner, NY State Assemblyman Chris Burdick, Anne Frank Center USA CEO Dr. Lauren Bairnsfather, Anne Frank Center USA Actor Olivia Konteatis, HHREC Board Chairperson Michael Gyory, HHREC Executive Director Millie Jasper, Fred Polak, Office of the County Executive Director of Research Ellen Hendrickx, Tony Polak, Vedat Gashi, Chairman Westchester County Board of Legislators    Photo by Raya Cottrell Photography

 

Anne Frank. Photo courtesy of the Anne Frank Center USA

HHREC Dedication Ceremony to be Held June 11 for Planting of a Sapling from Anne Frank’s Tree

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The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center (HHREC) will hold a dedication ceremony on Tuesday, June 11th at the Garden of Remembrance in White Plains, NY for the planting of a sapling grown from a tree referenced in Anne Frank’s Diary. The ceremony will begin at 12 p.m., and it is open to the public.  

HHREC was chosen to receive the plant by the Anne Frank Center USA, an organization honoring the legacy of Anne Frank. Other locations receiving a sapling include: Anne Frank LA, Los Angeles, CA; College of Saint Mary, Omaha, NB; Community Day School, Pittsburgh, PA; Gratz College, Melrose Park, PA; and Raritan Valley Community College, Branchburg, NJ.

“We are truly honored and grateful for being selected to receive a sapling from Anne Frank’s beloved chestnut tree.” HHREC Executive Director Millie Jasper said. “It is a privilege to be entrusted with this living memorial, and we look forward to sharing it with our community at the Garden of Remembrance as an eternal symbol of courage, resilience and hope.”

Anne Frank Center USA will plant saplings at key locations for each recipient in the spring of 2024, with plans to launch an extension of the program, the Anne Frank Garden Initiative, in 2025. Each sapling will become an integral fixture of the location where it grows and thrives.

With each sapling planted, Anne Frank Center USA is sharing Anne Frank’s love of nature with organizations across its coalition that have a common commitment to honoring Anne Frank’s memory through education, free expression, and belief in humanity.

The Tree in Anne’s Diary

From her only window to the outside world, Anne Frank could see the sky, birds, and a majestic chestnut tree. “As long as this exists,” she wrote in her diary, “how can I be sad?” Anne Frank wrote about her beloved chestnut tree in three separate diary entries in 1944, marking the changing of the seasons as she and others hid from the Nazis.

Project History

The Sapling Project began in 2009 with the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam’s efforts to preserve the original chestnut tree by gathering and germinating chestnuts and donating the saplings to organizations dedicated to Anne Frank’s memory. Despite efforts to strengthen the original chestnut tree, the aged, diseased tree toppled in a windstorm in 2010. It was one of the oldest chestnut trees in Amsterdam. Over the last 10 years, Anne Frank Center USA has awarded saplings to sites across the United States, including the U.S. Capitol, the United Nations Headquarters, and others. Taken together, these trees form a living memorial with branches reaching from coast to coast.

About Anne Frank Center USA

The Anne Frank Center USA traces its roots to the efforts of Otto Frank in the 1950s to raise funds to support the restoration of Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. He established the Anne Frank Foundation in New York as a fundraising organization dedicated to this purpose. The Anne Frank Foundation evolved into the Anne Frank Center USA, securing official 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in New York in 1977. AFC USA, which is still based in New York, functions as a decentralized organization. This makes it possible for the organization to remain nimble and responsive in a rapidly changing world. Over the past year, programs of AFC USA have reached hundreds of thousands of students in twenty-two states and the District of Columbia.

About The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center

The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center (HHREC) 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

 

Countywide Yom HaShoah Commemoration to be Held May 6th at Garden of Remembrance in White Plains

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The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center (HHREC), Westchester Jewish Council (WJC), and UJA-Federation of New York will host the annual Countywide Yom HaShoah Commemoration Keeping the Memory Alive on Monday, May 6 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at the Garden of Remembrance on 148 Martine Avenue in White Plains, New York.

The program will feature a keynote presentation by Holocaust Survivor Annie Kleinhaus and a procession of Westchester’s rescued Holocaust Torahs, remarks from County Executive George Latimer. and a lighting of candles by college students who are members of Hillels of Westchester.

The event is held to remember the 6 million innocent Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust, and to reflect on the powerful lessons of this genocide that will hopefully resonate today, as reporting of antisemitic incidences are at an all-time high.

In addition to this annual event on Monday, HHREC has a number of other major developments coming up in the weeks ahead, including a dedication ceremony for the planting of a sapling grown from a tree referenced in Anne Frank’s Diary on June 11th at the Garden of Remembrance. This tree is one of six in the U.S. awarded by the Anne Frank Center USA in 2024 in recognition of the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center’s commitment to education and sharing Anne Frank’s message of hope.

The HHREC has also received a significant increase in requests for Holocaust Survivors and Second-Generation Survivors from the HHREC Speakers Bureau to appear at area schools throughout the Hudson Valley and around the tri-state area, and 34 schools from the Hudson Valley participated in our Annual HHREC High School Institute this spring.

This event will be held rain or shine, and admission is free and open to all. For more information contact Millie Jasper mjasper@hhrency.org or Pam Goldstein pam@wjcouncil.org.  

The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center

Facts and Figures www.hhrecny.org

  • HHREC works with over 35 Hudson Valley area 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, HHREC has brought the lessons of the Holocaust, genocide, and human rights crimes to more than 3,000 teachers, and through them to thousands of middle and high school students in the Hudson Valley.
  • The HHREC Speakers Bureau offers a unique resource for educators. Speakers include Holocaust Survivors and GenerationsForward second and third generation speakers. In the past academic year 29 speakers appeared at area schools (approximately 13,000 students).
  • The HHREC Anna & Nicholas Elefant Library in White Plains offers a unique education resource about the Holocaust and human rights for area teachers and includes over 4,400 volumes of books curated by HHREC.
  • The HHREC, Westchester Jewish Council, and UJA-Federation of New York present the Annual Westchester Countywide Yom Hashoah Holocaust Commemoration each year at the Garden of Remembrance at 148 Martine Avenue, White Plains. In 2023, a crowd estimated at close to 350 people attended the event that featured a keynote presentation by Holocaust Survivor Dr. Aliza Erber.
  • In 2023, over 1,000 people from around the world attended HHREC Memory Keepers Story Hours on Zoom that featured HHREC GenerationsForward Speakers.

HHREC also works with community partners throughout the Hudson Valley area schools, synagogues, colleges, churches and civic centers in Westchester and the greater Hudson Valley area to fulfill their mission: 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. “ Their community partners include among others the Clark Center at Manhattanville College, Community of Holocaust Education Centers (USHMM), Emil A. and Jenny Fish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies Center at Yeshiva University, Iona University, Purchase College, SUNY, Westchester Business Council, Westchester Jewish Community Services, and the Westchester Jewish Council.

HHREC Executive Director Millie Jasper has been an invited guest speaker of Governor Hochul, County Executive Latimer, and many others, and chaired a session in Washington D.C. at the Association of Holocaust Organizations Conference in 2023.

 

HHREC and Westchester Jewish Council Countywide Yom Hashoah Commemoration Draws Crowd at Anne Frank Garden of Remembrance in White Plains

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The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center (HHREC) and Westchester Jewish Council (WJC) hosted the annual Countywide Yom Hashoah Commemoration Keeping the Memory Alive on April 28th at the Anne Frank Garden of Remembrance in White Plains, NY.

PHOTOS by Julie Rothschild

HHREC Chairman Michael Gyory greeted attendees and spoke about the importance of the Westchester community in coming together to commemorate Yom Hashoah, a “Day of Remembrance” amid global developments. An invocation was delivered by Bishop Mary Glasspool, Episcopal Diocese of New York, and the program included remarks by Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who spoke about the need to avoid blaming a single person for the Holocaust or the war in Ukraine, and the importance of being an “upstander” to safeguard against dictators, today and in the future.

A keynote speech was delivered by Rabbinic Pastor Dr. Aliza Erber, a daughter of a Holocaust Survivor and member of the HHREC Speakers Bureau, who shared a story of how her mother had to give her away as a young child to live in an underground bunker and how she survived to ultimately reunite with her after the end of WWII.

Following her speech, the program continued with a candle lighting by a group of Somers High School Holocaust Commission Student Winners, including Jaiden Donovan, Eowyn Keenan, Sarah Cassidy, Olivia Sherman, Sebastian Wissa, Tori Suare and Taylor Luks. The program concluded with remarks by William Schrag, President of the Westchester Jewish Council.

   PHOTOS BY Julie Rothschild

 

News Courtesy of the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center

Editor’s Note: At this event, I was personally thrilled to watch my friend and fellow journalist Stacey Pfeffer of Chappaqua carry one of the rescued Torahs on behalf of Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester, alongside Temple Beth El’s Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe.  The Torah is number 54 from the Memorial Scrolls Trust. The Torah came from Boskovice and was written in 1853. At that time Boskovice was a part of Germany, but it is now the Czech Republic. —  Grace

Stacey wrote a beautiful essay about her family’s history and her feelings receiving this honor: https://jewishwomenofwords.com.au/my-15-minutes-with-a-rescued-shoah-torah/stacey-pfeffer-and-her-father/

Stacey Pfeffer holding a rescued Torah alongside Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe (right) of Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester in Chappaqua. To Stacey’s left is her uncle, Arthur Korzec.  Photo by Grace Bennett

About The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center

The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center is a not-for-profit organization based in White Plains New York that serves Westchester, Fairfield and neighboring counties. Their 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. We encourage students to speak up and act against all forms of bigotry and prejudice. Their work with students and teachers helps schools fulfill the New York State mandate that the Holocaust and other human rights abuses be included in their curriculum. Since 1994, they have brought the lessons of the Holocaust, genocide and human rights crimes to more than 1750 teachers, and through them to thousands of middle and high school students. Through their volunteer Educators Program Committee, the Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center gives teachers the unique opportunity to develop programs for themselves and others. These programs not only enrich teachers’ knowledge about the Holocaust and related issues, but they also provide the lens through which to view all other human rights violations. For more information call 914.696.0738 email info@hhrecny.org 

 

 

Yom Hashoah Ceremony: Calls for Vigilance and Upstanders

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Story and Photos By Grace Bennett

April 12, White Plains, NY–A procession of 30 ‘Holocaust Rescued Torahs’ took place at the Yom Hashoah Ceremony in the Anne Frank Garden of Remembrance– each symbolic of the devastation that fell Jewish communities throughout Nazi-occupied Europe, each also a reminder of Jewish resilience and survival against all odds.

 Representatives from Temples, Synagogues and Jewish Centers from throughout Westchester County carefully cradled and carried the preserved Torahs to the foot of the open gates. From New Castle’s Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester, a Torah, held by Rabbi Jonathan Jaffe, came from Boskovice, at the time a part of Germany, now in the Czec Republic. From Congregation B’nai Yisrael in Armonk was a Torah scroll saved by congregants of a Synagogue in Pacov (50 miles SE of Prague).

Songs by the Westchester Day School choir followed as did the blowing of the Shofar and an invocation by Rabbi Daniel Gropper of the Westchester Board of Rabbis; Gropper notably called out current day bigotry. He also quoted the Garden of Remembrance’s inscription: “In memory of those who died. In thanksgiving for those who survived. In gratitude for those who risked their lives in rescue.”

Remarks by Joseph Kaidanow, Chairman of the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center, and from Lisa Roberts. President of the Westchester Jewish Council, preceded those of County Executive George Latimer.

Kaidanow, recalled the legacy of the much beloved Eugene Grant, a survivor and long-time, generous benefactor of the HHREC who recently passed.  Eugene often warned, he said, of what can happen “when people fail to be upstanders.”

 Latimer reminded attendees of the “common humanity and vigilance” we must share after “six million Jews were mercilessly killed.”

Agnes Vertes

 The final remarks before a candle lighting were from survivor Agnes Vertes who  relayed the harrowing details of her experiences being separated from her parents, describing too how vital it was to her that she was still together with her little sister.

Both were hidden as very young children from the Nazis in Hungary. One tale in particular resonated when Vertes told of how her two-year-old sister tugged playfully on the trouser of a Hungarian Nazi officer who had come to find Jews in the orphanage she and her sister were living in as ‘Catholics.’ (Agnes was warned never to mention they were Jewish–she came to understand why after witnessing Jewish people being beaten.)

The SS officer was charmed by her sister, tossed her in the air, and said that only an Aryan child could be so cute. He abandoned his mission.

“She was 100 percent Jewish!” Gertes said, proudly, eliciting some laughter too. Her little sister, she said, “may have saved 100 lives that day.”

 Gertes described how she struggled with survivor’s guilt after learning so many children were killed, but gradually felt she “was lucky to have survived” so that she could tell the story so that such events would never be repeated again.