Queen of the Netherlands Visits Anne Frank the Exhibition

Anne Frank the Exhibition, which honors Anne’s story and Jewish history at large, was visited by Her Majesty Queen Máxima of the Netherlands on Feb. 25. Led by Ronald Leopold, the executive director of the Anne Frank Foundation, Queen Máxima was moved by the immersive re-creation of the Annex, in Amsterdam, where Anne and her family went into hiding for two years during World War II. The exhibition is at the Center for Jewish History in Manhattan.

While Queen Máxima has visited the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, Anne Frank the Exhibition in New York is one of a kind. Where the Amsterdam Annex is shown bare and empty, per the wishes of Anne Frank’s father, Otto Frank, the New York exhibit is immersive, with the space re-created to resemble what the Annex looked like prior to the Nazi invasion.

This novel approach 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.

During a time of rising antisemitism in the U.S., one of the exhibition’s key priorities is to have visitors understand Jewish persecution and survival on a deeper level. Younger visitors 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 U.S.

So, on Feb. 25, in addition to touring Anne Frank the Exhibition to supplement their curriculum, students from Great Neck North High School heard 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 told 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 with the 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,” Ullman told People magazine. “I think we owe the royal family quite a lot.”

“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,” Ullman told People. “So it’s very special, and to have her be here gives it a sense of significance and quality that’s really welcomed.”

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