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Anne Frank Exhibit to Distribute 10,000 Free Copies of Frank’s Diary in Honor of Her Would-Be 96th Birthday
Inside a recreation of the annex room Anne Frank shared while hiding from the Nazis in The Netherlands that is featured in “Anne Frank The Exhibition” at the Center for Jewish History. Photo: John Halpern
Organizers of New York City’s “Anne Frank The Exhibition” will hand out 10,000 free copies of the Jewish teenager’s famous Holocaust diary as well as free tickets to the unique exhibit as part of an initiative launching on Thursday that will commemorate what would have been Frank’s 96th birthday.
Organizers of “Anne Frank The Exhibition” — which is presented by the Anne Frank House in the Netherlands and hosted at the Center for Jewish History in Union Square — announced this week a new initiative called “Summer of Reflection: The Legacy of Anne Frank.”
New York City Public Schools, Union Square Partnership, and the New York Public Library, Queens Public Library, and Brooklyn Public Library are partnering with the initiative to distribute free copies of “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl” starting on Thursday – Frank’s birthday – and through the summer. Some copies of Frank’s famous diary will also join the permanent collections of schools and libraries, to guarantee lasting access for future generations.
“Anne Frank The Exhibition” features the first full-scale recreation of the secret annex in Amsterdam where Frank hid with her family and other Jews from the Nazis during World War II, and where she wrote her famous diary about her experience in hiding. “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl” is one of the most translated books in the world. It is available in over 70 languages and has sold over 30 million copies. The book was published by Frank’s father, Otto, after the Holocaust. Anne and her sister Margot died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945.
“In the face of rising antisemitism around the country and world, it is critical that we take steps across our city to combat hate and intolerance,” said New York City Public Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos in a released statement about the “Summer of Reflection” initiative.
“Anne Frank’s story is one of hope, humanity, and courage, and it belongs in our classrooms and in our communities as a key part of this work,” Aviles-Ramos added. “I am confident that the distribution of 10,000 copies of her diary will leave a lasting impact on our young people, just as it did on my own students when I was a high school English teacher.”
The Anne Frank House in the Netherlands — with support from Bank of America and UJA-Federation of New York — will distribute the free copies of Frank’s diary and free tickets to the New York City exhibit for students and others. Starting on Thursday from 12-2 pm ET, educators and exhibition staff from the exhibit will be at various locations to hand out free copies of the diary.
On Friday, “Anne Frank The Exhibition” will offer free admission from 2:45-5 pm ET on a first-come, first-served basis. Organizers also announced they will extend free exhibition access – for up to 250 people – for public library card holders on select Friday afternoons in July and August, starting on July 11.
“Anne Frank’s diary is not just a historical document; it is a beacon of hope and a call to action,” said Ronald Leopold, executive director of the Anne Frank House. “Her words inspire us to confront injustice and to promote tolerance and human dignity. By distributing thousands of copies of her diary and expanding access to the exhibition, we are reaffirming our commitment to education and remembrance. It is vital that Anne’s message reaches as many people as possible, especially in today’s world where antisemitism and group hatred is on the rise and the lessons of history must never be forgotten. It is what her father, Otto Frank, sought to achieve in his dedicated and courageous pursuit of the diary’s publication.”
The distribution of the 10,000 books is being organized in collaboration with the New York City Public Schools Office of Library Services, New York City Public Schools Department of Social Studies & Civics, and New York City Public Schools Summer Rising enrichment program.
“By helping to put this book directly into the hands of New York City students, we’re giving them the opportunity to connect personally with Anne’s story, reflect on the consequences of hatred, and understand the possibility of resilience and the human spirit,” said Eric Goldstein, CEO of the UJA-Federation of New York. “Particularly now, at a time of sharply rising hatred targeting the Jewish community, our hope is that young readers will be inspired to stand up to hate, to find courage in the face of adversity, and to believe in the power of their own voices.”
“Anne Frank The Exhibition” is the first time in history that the Anne Frank House offers an experience outside of Amsterdam where visitors can immerse themselves in a full-scale replica of the fully furnished rooms where Frank, her parents and sister, and four other Jews spent two years hiding from Nazi capture. More than 100 original collection items from the Anne Frank House are on display in the exhibit, marking the first time dozens of artifacts can be seen in the United States. Many have never been seen in public.
“Anne Frank The Exhibition” opened in New York City in late January on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The exhibit is a limited engagement and was originally scheduled to close on April 30. However, due to popular demand and after selling out tickets for its limited run within one week of opening, the exhibit is now on extended view at the Center for Jewish History through Oct. 31, 2025.
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Antisemitic Incidents at Argentina Local Soccer Match Spark Official Investigations, Condemnations
Fans of Argentinian soccer club All Boys marched through the streets before their match against Atlanta soccer club, carrying a coffin draped with an Israeli flag alongside Iranian and Palestinian flags. Photo: Screenshot
Argentinian authorities and soccer officials have launched investigations following antisemitic incidents by Club Atlético All Boys fans during Sunday’s local match against Atlanta.
Atlanta, a soccer team based in the Villa Crespo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, has deep historical ties to Argentina’s Jewish community, which has long been a significant presence in the area.
This latest antisemitic incident took place outside the stadium before the game had even started.
All Boys fans were seen waving Palestinian and Iranian flags, carrying a coffin draped with an Israeli flag, and handing out flyers bearing messages like “Free Palestine” and “Israel and Atlanta are the same crap.”
Before a football match today against the Argentine sports club Atlanta, which is closely associated with the Jewish community, fans of the opposing team, All Boys, waved Islamic Republic and Palestinian flags while parading a coffin draped in an Israeli flag through the streets.… pic.twitter.com/IQs4v6eoFz
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) June 29, 2025
Then, during the match — which ended in a 0-0 draw — a drone carrying a Palestinian flag flew over the stadium, while some fans reportedly chanted anti-Israel slogans.
Local police confirmed they have issued citations to individuals accused of inciting public disorder and related offenses.
On Monday, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) condemned the incidents as “abhorrent” and confirmed the organization has opened a formal inquiry into the events.
“This is not folklore. This is discrimination,” the statement reads.
Argentina’s Security Minister Patricia Bullrich also announced that a criminal complaint has been filed, citing “acts of violence, expressions of racial and religious hatred, and public intimidation.”
In a post on X, the Delegation of Argentine Israelite Associations (DAIA), the country’s Jewish umbrella organization, condemned the incidents and called on both local authorities and the soccer officials to “take firm action against these acts of hatred.”
“We urge the authorities to take all necessary actions and apply the full force of the law,” the statement reads. “Violence and discrimination must have no place in our society.”
Repudiamos enérgicamente las expresiones antisemitas ocurridas hoy en las inmediaciones del estadio Malvinas Argentinas.
Exigimos a las autoridades correspondientes, a la AFA y al Club All Boys que actúen con firmeza ante estos hechos de odio.
La violencia y la discriminación no… pic.twitter.com/3AmY7IQscY— DAIA (@DAIAArgentina) June 29, 2025
Since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Argentina has experienced a surge in antisemitic incidents and anti-Jewish hate crimes.
According to a recent report by DAIA, Argentina experienced a 15 percent increase in antisemitic activity last year, with 687 anti-Jewish hate crimes recorded — up from 598 incidents in 2023 — marking a significant rise nationwide.
The study indicates that 66 percent of the antisemitic incidents originated in the digital realm, with a significant rise in Nazi symbols and conspiracy theories, but there was also a 34 percent increase in reported physical assaults, with such hate crimes rising in schools and neighborhoods.
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Iranian nuclear program degraded by up to two years, Pentagon says
A satellite image of Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility. Photo: File.
The Pentagon said on Wednesday that US strikes 10 days ago had degraded Iran’s nuclear program by up to two years, suggesting the U.S. military operation likely achieved its goals despite a far more cautious initial assessment that leaked to the public.
Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, offered the figure at a briefing to reporters, adding that the official estimate was “probably closer to two years.” Parnell did not provide evidence to back up his assessment.
“We have degraded their program by one to two years, at least intel assessments inside the Department [of Defense] assess that,” Parnell told a news briefing.
U.S. military bombers carried out strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22 using more than a dozen 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs and more than two dozen Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles.
The evolving U.S. intelligence about the impact of the strikes is being closely watched, after President Donald Trump said almost immediately after they took place that Iran’s program had been obliterated, language echoed by Parnell at Wednesday’s briefing.
Such conclusions often take the U.S. intelligence community weeks or more to determine.
“All of the intelligence that we’ve seen [has] led us to believe that Iran’s — those facilities especially, have been completely obliterated,” Parnell said.
Over the weekend, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, said that Iran could be producing enriched uranium in a few months, raising doubts about how effective US strikes to destroy Tehran’s nuclear program have been.
Several experts have also cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of the deeply buried Fordow site before the strikes and could be hiding it.
But US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week he was unaware of intelligence suggesting Iran had moved its highly enriched uranium to shield it from US strikes.
A preliminary assessment last week from the Defense Intelligence Agency suggested that the strikes may have only set back Iran’s nuclear program by months. But Trump administration officials said that assessment was low confidence and had been overtaken by intelligence showing Iran’s nuclear program was severely damaged.
According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the strikes on the Fordow nuclear site caused severe damage.
“No one exactly knows what has transpired in Fordow. That being said, what we know so far is that the facilities have been seriously and heavily damaged,” Araqchi said in the interview broadcast by CBS News on Tuesday.
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Switzerland Moves to Close Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s Geneva Office Over Legal Irregularities
Palestinians carry aid supplies received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo
Switzerland has moved to shut down the Geneva office of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US- and Israeli-backed aid group, citing legal irregularities in its establishment.
The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza in late May, implementing a new aid delivery model aimed at preventing the diversion of supplies by Hamas, as Israel continues its defensive military campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group.
The initiative has drawn criticism from the UN and international organizations, some of which have claimed that Jerusalem is causing starvation in the war-torn enclave.
Israel has vehemently denied such accusations, noting that, until its recently imposed blockade, it had provided significant humanitarian aid in the enclave throughout the war.
Israeli officials have also said much of the aid that flows into Gaza is stolen by Hamas, which uses it for terrorist operations and sells the rest at high prices to Gazan civilians.
With a subsidiary registered in Geneva, the GHF — headquartered in Delaware — reports having delivered over 56 million meals to Palestinians in just one month.
According to a regulatory announcement published Wednesday in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce, the Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations (ESA) may order the dissolution of the GHF if no creditors come forward within the legal 30-day period.
The Trump administration did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Swiss decision to shut down its Geneva office.
“The GHF confirmed to the ESA that it had never carried out activities in Switzerland … and that it intends to dissolve the Geneva-registered branch,” the ESA said in a statement.
Last week, Geneva authorities gave the GHF a 30-day deadline to address legal shortcomings or risk facing enforcement measures.
Under local laws and regulations, the foundation failed to meet several requirements: it did not appoint a board member authorized to sign documents domiciled in Switzerland, did not have the minimum three board members, lacked a Swiss bank account and valid address, and operated without an auditing body.
The GHF operates independently from UN-backed mechanisms, which Hamas has sought to reinstate, arguing that these vehicles are more neutral.
Israeli and American officials have rejected those calls, saying Hamas previously exploited UN-run systems to siphon aid for its war effort.
The UN has denied those allegations while expressing concerns that the GHF’s approach forces civilians to risk their safety by traveling long distances across active conflict zones to reach food distribution points.
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