Quiet Courage: Visiting the Anne Frank Exhibition

Hello, dear readers.

I am back to write about an adventure I went on today. I visited the Anne Frank Exhibition at the Center for Jewish History in Manhattan with my dad and two brothers.

I have been familiar with the story of Anne Frank for most of my life. I read The Diary of a Young Girl at some point in my educational career. But seeing her life unfold through audio stories, photos, letters, video clips, artifacts, and a remodel of what the attic looked like when she was in hiding brought a whole different layer to my understanding of her, of history, of humanity, of what it means to bear witness.

The exhibition not only walks you through Anne’s life, but also through the rise of fascism, displacement, silence, and survival. There was one video that made me pause. A video showing one of Anne Frank's classes and blocking out the Jewish students who were sent to the concentration camps. Truly devastating    

Visiting the exhibit made me think about how her writing — scribbled in a small room, in hiding — became something world-shifting. It was not loud. It was never meant to be published. It was meant to survive. 

That idea—that quiet voices matter—hit me hard. We live in such a loud world. Social media rewards volume and performance. But Anne’s voice was thoughtful, reflective, and intimate. And that is precisely why it still echoes. 

As a teacher, I thought about how many of my students and their families are navigating their own versions of fear, uncertainty, or invisibility. Especially in today's world, with everything that is going on. 

As a woman, I thought about how many of us grow up learning to be polite and careful.

As a human, I thought about how often we look away from what makes us uncomfortable- and how powerful it is to look directly at it, even when it hurts.

The Anne Frank Exhibition is not flashy. It is quiet, reverent, deeply human. It reminded me of the importance of holding space for grief, for history, for voices that never got to grow old and experience all that life had to offer. 

If you're in Manhattan, I highly recommend it. Let the exhibit speak for itself. 

Claudia 📖🕯️