June 01, 2014

In commemoration of Anne's 85th birthday

On June 12, 1942 Anne Frank received a diary for her 13th birthday from her father, Otto. Her first entry is dated 12 July 1942 where she writes:

I hope I will be able to confide everything to you,as I have never been able to confide in anyone,and I hope you will be a great source of comfortand support."

Less than a month later, on July 6, the Frank family left their home at Merwedeplein in Amsterdam and went into hiding at 263 Prisengracht.

The first item Anne packed was her diary. She continued to write for two years while she remained in "het achterhuis - the secret annex". Her last entry is dated August 1, 1944.

On the morning of August 4, the inhabitants of the annex were arrested. They were taken from Amsterdam to the Westerbork transit camp. From there they were sent to the Auschwitz killing center. Anne and her sister were transported again to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. They both died there of typhus.

Over 70 years later, Anne's diary has been published in more than 80 languages. Her words have touched the hearts of millions all over the world. She will continue to be an inspiration for generations to come. 

In commemoration of Anne's 85th birthday, submit your own thoughts, comments, wishes, notes, reflections, or photos.

What would you like Anne to know about you, the world, or her legacy? The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust will collect these online submissions and share them online throughout the day on June 12. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to watch for your submission and read what others have contributed.

Prompts

Choose from the prompts below. You are welcome to submit more than one prompt but you are limited to one submission per prompt.

  1. Describe some movies and books you like that you think Anne might enjoy as well. 
     
  2. Tell Anne how her diary has inspired you.
     
  3. Describe something about the world that you would like Anne to know about so she can learn how it has changed since 1945.
     
  4. Submit photos of you and/or your family that are similar to photos from the Frank's family album.

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