Solemn commemoration of Anne Frank
On Thursday, June 12, 2025, a solemn commemoration will take place in Wilhelmina Park in honor of the courage of Annelies Marie Frank, better known as Anne Frank, who was born in Germany on June 12, 1929, and became a universal symbol of the Holocaust.
The commemoration will take place at the statue of Anne Frank from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM and is dedicated to the remembrance of the victims of World War II and to the spirit of hope and resistance that Anne Frank represented.
It was exactly 14 years ago that the government of Aruba unveiled the statue in Wilhelmina Park on Anne Frank's birthday. During the original commemoration, the statue was unveiled in the presence of Martyr Luther King III and former director of the Anne Frank Foundation, Dr. Hans Westra.
The government of Aruba and the CCDN National Holidays Committee invite the Aruban community to attend the solemn commemoration and reflect on the historical lessons Anne Frank left behind for the world.
About Anne Frank
Annelies Marie Frank, better known as Anne Frank, was born on June 12, 1929, in Germany. She was a girl of Jewish descent and became a symbol of the Holocaust.
In 1939, Anne's mother moved to the Netherlands with her two children to escape Nazi persecution.
On June 12, 1942, Anne turned 13 and was given a diary as a gift. The diary recorded his thoughts, fears, and hopes at that time. From July 6, 1942, the Franks moved into the back of their company. During this time, Anne spent most of her time reading, studying, and writing in her diary. Anne wrote until August 1, 1944.
The Grüne Polizei arrested Anne's family on August 4, 1944. They classified the family and other acquaintances as criminals and sent them from Westerbork to the Auschwitz concentration camp.
On October 28, 1944, Anne was transferred to Bergen-Belsen. Anne died there in February 1945 from the typhus epidemic.
Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl, two patronesses of the Frank family, found the diary with some of Anne's papers. In 1947, Anne's father published the book De Achtertuin.
"Despite everything, I still believe that people are good. Those who are happy also make others happy. "I don't think about all the misery, but about the beauty that is still there" is a well-known passage from Anne Frank's diary.
Her history is a powerful reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust and the resilience of the human spirit.