Amsterdam: impressions of Anne Frank house

While on our recent visit to Amsterdam we stopped at the Anne Frank house. I had read the book as a young person and recall seeing a movie at one point. I had forgotten that the house wasn't really a house, but an office building/warehouse.

The rooms where the families lived remain unfurnished, but it is clear when walking through the space how each room was used - and they provided a scale model to help those of us who need a visual image to understand.

I couldn't take pictures during the tour, but there is one image I walked away with. There is something that made a permanent impression that I wanted to share with you. To me, this was less of a story about a girl who is coming of age than it is about a loving father.

Otto Frank

Otto devised the plan to protect his family during persecution of the Jews. He designed and built the space they lived in. He enlisted individuals to help so they would have food and even things for the girls like celebrity magazines. After being freed from the concentration camp, he looked tirelessly for his family only to discover their unfortunate deaths. What he did after that is inspiring to me. One of his former colleagues and protectors had collected Anne's diary. Knowing that one of Anne's dreams was to be a published author and that she was writing (and rewriting) those passages with the hope of one day sharing her story - this father worked to make that dream a reality. He is the reason that this timeless classic exists. He also worked to preserve the place they called home and his efforts are the reason this is a tourist stop today. For the remainder of his life he worked to recognize those who were being persecuted for racial or religious reasons.

What a man! I am sure he wasn't perfect, because no human is, but in my assessment this is a story of a loving father who did what he could to protect his family in violent and uncertain times. A man of character like that should be remembered, but instead he is just a shadow in a story that will be told for generations to come - his daughters story.

I left that house with admiration for his courage, ingenuity and persistence. Until his death he was still fighting for a cause much bigger than himself or the family he had lost. Like Anne Frank's diary, I think his story is one that should be told for generations.

Just Sheri, inspired by the commitment of a loving father