There’s something poignant about an empty
space. A place where life used to happen. Meals
were served and enjoyed, conversations had in
hushed tones, footsteps softly tread for fear of
attracting notice, squabbles, tears, and
laughter...a young girl and her book.
Anne Frank touched our hearts.
Her fear, joy, hope, inner turmoil,
young love, teen angst...it echoed
through us. We identified with it.
She personified the potential of creative
youth. She put a face to the Holocaust.
If you go to Amsterdam and plan to see
the Secret Annex, reserve well ahead
of time. Be prepared to wait. I can say,
unequivocally, that it was one of the most
profound experiences of my life. As you step through the
ground floor rooms and learn about Otto Frank’s business,
you will feel the energy building, the sheer magnitude
of what you are about to see. Up a narrow staircase and
down a hall, you find yourself in front of a bookcase and
at the door of the Secret Annex.
The Secret Annex
Dietmar Rabich
Anne’s room, empty now, save for some of the clippings
that she put up on the walls, stands in silent testimony
to her solitude, her fortitude, her hope. You can still see
the notches where Otto and Edith Frank marked their
daughters’ growth on the door frame, as many of us do
with our own children. As you move through the rooms
you can feel the life, the sorrow, the joy of togetherness,
the pain of confinement. The fear of being discovered.
No one stops you from putting a hand to the kitchen
counter, where countless meals were prepared with food
smuggled in by the Helpers. You can still hear the church
bells that Anne wrote about.
As you move through the Annex, one of the last things
that you see is Otto Frank’s portrait. He was the only one
of the Hiders to survive the camps. Near the end of his
life, he returned to the Annex and stood, head bowed,
in the empty space.
The city is far from empty though. Bustling with life, it has
withstood fire, flood, plague and occupation; its citizens
standing with others in love and acceptance. There is a
warm and welcoming feeling to this place. Go.
Tracy is a US History teacher for an International
School in Paris, where she lives with her son.
She is originally from Winter Garden and is
a graduate of West Orange HS. When not
teaching, she can be found rocketing through
Normandy behind the wheel of a big diesel
truck packed with American tourists, writing
Young Adult Fiction, or picnicking by the Seine.
MARCH 2019
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WINTER GARDEN MAGAZINE |
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