Holocaust Remembrance Day - Visiting the Anne Frank Memorial

Six million trees in memory of the Holocaust victims have been planted since the 1950's by Karen Kayemeth LeIsrael, KKL-JNF. The most famous monument in the Hakdoshim Forest outside of of Jerusalem  is the "Scroll of Fire", two large bronze cylinders that represent the destruction and rebirth of Israel.

Within the forest there is a memorial to Anne Frank, who perhaps more than anyone else, represents the horrors of the Holocaust for many people. The Anne Frank Memorial, a gift from KKL-JNF Holland, was inaugurated in Hakdoshim Forest on May 2, 2011, on Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day. The monument is located near the B'nai B'rith tomb.

Anne Frank (1929-1945) hid in Amsterdam with her family during the German occupation of the Netherlands and died in Bergen-Belsen in 1945. Miep Gies, a family friend, found Anne's diary and gave it to her father after the war. It became one of the most widely read books in the world. In the diary Anne mentions looking out from her hiding place and seeing a chestnut tree.

In her diary Anne wrote about the chestnut tree she saw through the cracks, this influenced Pete Cohen, creator of the monument. He wanted to demonstrate Anne's longing for freedom from her hiding place, to do so he created a sculpture in the form of a room made of rusted steel. In the corner of the structure sits an uncomfortably high stool, from where the viewer can see an engraved image of the famed chestnut tree which Anne Frank wrote about so lovingly in her diary. The viewing experience is meant to recreate the feeling of imprisonment, isolation and discomfort while looking longingly through a window at the world outside.

A three mile trail connects Anne Frank's monument with the "Scroll of Fire" monument. This path is steep so it is recommended to walk downhill from the "Scroll of Fire" monument to Anne Frank's memorial.

How to get there? From Highway 1 (Tel Aviv - Jerusalem) turn south to Highway 38  toward Bet Shemesh. Turn left slightly before Eshta'ol Junction onto a marked dirt road to Martyrs Forest. (All terrain vehicles are suitable for driving toward the Martyrs Cave.) To get to the Scroll of Fire Memorial proceed and turn left (east) at Eshta'ol Junction to Highway 395 (to Ramat Raziel). Continue until the sign that says to turn right to Kisalon, and the road will soon branch off to the Scroll of Fire Memorial.

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