Queen Máxima of the Netherlands Visits Anne Frank the Exhibition

Anne Frank the Exhibition, which honors Anne’s story and Jewish history at large at the Center for Jewish History in Manhattan, was visited by Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands on Feb. 25 morning. Led by Ronald Leopold, the Executive Director of the Anne Frank House, Queen Máxima was moved by the immersive recreation of the Annex where Anne and her family went into hiding for two years during World War II.

During a time of rising antisemitism in the United States, one of the exhibition’s key priorities is to serve as an educational opportunity so that visitors can understand Jewish persecution and survival on a deeper level. Amongst the range of demographics that visit the exhibition, younger generations are of particular importance due to their growing role in recognizing and combating modern manifestations of antisemitism.

To follow through with this goal, the exhibition subsidizes field trips for NYC public schools as well as all Title I public schools throughout the United States.

On Tuesday Feb. 25, in addition to touring Anne Frank the Exhibition to supplement their curriculum, students from Great Neck North High School were given the chance to hear from Queen Máxima herself.

“What we learn from Anne Frank is that it’s a fundamental value to see everyone as a person, it doesn’t matter what religion or background they are,” she shared with the students, according to the Bergen Record. “Her story speaks to our shared humanity.”

Exhibition benefactor and Holocaust survivor, Leo Ullman, also visited the exhibition that day and participated in the discussion amongst students and the Queen. He acknowledged the Royals’ lasting commitment to the Jewish population in the Netherlands.

”I think it’s very important because the Royal House of the Netherlands has been extremely supportive of the Jewish history and the Jewish population of Amsterdam and the Netherlands, which is very small at this point,” Ullamn told PEOPLE. “I think we owe the royal family quite a lot.”

While Queen Máxima has visited the Anne Frank House in the Netherlands, Anne Frank the Exhibition in New York is one of a kind, as it affords the first ever immersive experience in the United States and has been recreated to resemble what the Annex looked like prior to the Nazi invasion.

This novelty gave Queen Máxima fresh insight and a new means of engaging with Jewish history. Even more so, it established a level of importance for the month-old exhibition.

“It’s the most phenomenal exhibit, and it goes through a lot of history of the Anne Frank family that you wouldn’t catch if you just go to the house in Holland. So it’s very special, and to have her be here gives it a sense of significance and quality that’s really welcomed,” Ullman told PEOPLE.

Anne Frank the Exhibition has extended its presentation due to overwhelming demand within just the first month. Originally scheduled until April of 2025, the exhibition will now run through October 31, 2025.