Anne Frank was 15 years old when she died in a Nazi concentration camp. Yet her words outlived her body. Words scribbled in a diary from a secret attic in Amsterdam became one of the world’s most powerful mirrors.
This summer, I found myself in Amsterdam for Mindvalley U. By chance, my Airbnb was on the street next to Anne Frank’s house. Each morning, I’d step outside and see the same canals, the same cobblestones, and the same rooftops Anne may have glimpsed in stolen moments when she dared peek out from her hiding place.
A few mornings later, I opened the news and froze. The Diary of Anne Frank had just been banned in Florida schools under new book-ban laws. Imagine that. In 2025, one of the most important human documents ever written—the testimony of a teenage Jewish girl hiding from Nazi genocide—was deemed “inappropriate” for children to read.
The synchronicity hit me hard. I was standing before the building where those words were written. Words that survived Anne, even though she did not. Words that outlived war, genocide, and cruelty—only to be silenced again today by politicians who fear truth more than hatred.
And this got me thinking.
If Anne Frank were alive today, what would she say about America? About Israel & Gaza?
What I’m about to share may feel uncomfortable—but Anne’s words demand we face discomfort.
Who was Anne Frank
Anne Frank was born in Frankfurt in 1929. When the Nazis rose to power, her family fled to Amsterdam, hoping to escape persecution. In 1942, when deportations began, they went into hiding in a small annex behind her father’s office. For over two years, Anne, her sister Margot, her parents Otto and Edith, and four others lived in silence, relying on the courage of Dutch friends who smuggled them food and news.
Anne wasn’t just a symbol. She was a teenager—funny, sharp, sometimes rebellious, and always observant. She dreamed of being a journalist. She once wrote, “I want to go on living even after my death.” And, tragically, she did—not through her life, but through her words.
In August 1944, they were betrayed. The Gestapo stormed the annex. The Franks were deported to Westerbork, then Auschwitz, and finally Anne and Margot to Bergen-Belsen. In early 1945, both sisters died of typhus—just weeks before liberation. Anne was 15.
Only Otto Frank survived. After the war, Miep Gies, one of the helpers, handed him Anne’s diary. He published it, fulfilling her dream. Today, it has sold over 30 million copies and been translated into more than 70 languages.
Anne’s body was silenced. But her voice became immortal.
Anne’s words in today’s world
Anne once wrote:
“Terrible things are happening outside. Poor, helpless people are being dragged out of their homes. Families are torn apart. Children come home from school to find that their parents have disappeared.”
She was describing Nazi roundups in Amsterdam.
But doesn’t that sound eerily like ICE raids in America today? Parents taken in the middle of the night. Children left crying, bewildered, abandoned. Different time, different uniforms—but the same cruelty.
Anne also wrote:
“We are chained to one spot, without rights, a thousand obligations… waiting for the inevitable end.”
That could be the voice of Gaza today. Entire families locked in. Starved. Bombed. Denied freedom of movement. Children asking, “Why must we suffer simply because of who we are?”
Her words, written 80 years ago, read like dispatches from the present. History is not past. It is a loop—unless we break it.
A hard, controversial mirror
Anne’s diary teaches us to look at cruelty honestly, no matter where it comes from. And one thing history proves: atrocities don’t start with bullets. They start with words.
Dehumanizing language always comes first.
So let’s talk about Gaza, as uncomfortable as this may seem.
Consider the echoes:
- Nazi leadership (1943): Heinrich Himmler at Posen: “I am referring here to the evacuation of the Jews, the extermination of the Jewish people….”
- Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (2023): On the Palestinian town of Huwara: “[Huwara] should be wiped out. I think the State of Israel should do it.”
- Hitler, Mein Kampf: Jews as “the typical parasite, a sponger who, like an infectious bacillus, keeps spreading.” Nazi propaganda routinely cast Jews as vermin.
- Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (2023): Announcing a siege of Gaza: “There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel… We are fighting human animals and we are acting accordingly.”
- Nazi propaganda (Goebbels echoing Hitler): Jews blamed collectively for war, threatened with “extermination.”
- Israeli President Isaac Herzog (2023): “It is an entire nation out there that is responsible….” — words widely criticized as endorsing collective punishment.
- Nazi euphemisms: “Evacuation” as code for extermination.
- Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu (2023): Suggesting a nuclear strike on Gaza was “one of the options.”
Different contexts. Different scales. But the same pattern.
Dehumanize → Justify → Destroy.
Anne Frank’s words remind us: when we hear this language, it is never “just rhetoric.” It is the runway to cruelty.
You see, cruelty always begins the same way: when leaders tell us to fear “the other.”
Fear the immigrant.
Fear the refugee.
Fear the neighbor who looks different.
Fear the people beyond your border.
That is the oldest political trick in the book. And it works—unless we refuse to buy it.
Anne Frank didn’t write her diary so we could cry in museums. She wrote it so we could recognize her suffering in others—and have the courage to stop it.
Why giving people a chance matters
This message hit me with even greater force because, while in Amsterdam, I also had a chance encounter.
I bumped into a young Syrian man who once worked for me back in 2016. At the time, he was a refugee in Malaysia. He and his friend had escaped a country torn apart by war. One had seen his home blown to rubble. The other had lost a brother when a bomb fell on the very place his brother was resting.
Both had lived through horrors most of us can barely imagine. And yet, when I met them, I didn’t just see refugees. I saw brilliant young minds. I saw hope, determination, and resilience.
That year, I had an idea for a new learning model called Quest and needed someone to build the app. These two young Syrians built it in record time. That app became the Mindvalley app—today used by millions worldwide and even featured in 200,000 Apple stores on the iPad.
Yes, our app was built by Syrians. Yes, it was built by refugees who were given a chance.
Anne never got her chance. But when we give people that chance, look what can happen.
This is why I am so adamant about this message. When politicians tell you to fear refugees, or immigrants, or minorities, they’re not just lying. They are robbing humanity of its future.
The rule we must all live by
If there’s one rule we must all live by, it’s this:
The moment a leader tells you to fear refugees, minorities, or immigrants, you are looking at a tyrant.
Do not believe them. Do not reward their fear with your silence—or your vote.
Because fear divides. And division always leads to cruelty.
What the world needs now is unity.
Unity across stripes, colors, races, and ethnicities. Unity across cultures, religions, and especially across borders.
Because the only way we solve the greatest challenges facing humanity—from climate change to war to poverty—is to remember this truth:
We are one humanity.
And kindness cannot stop at the invisible lines of race, religion, or border.
The higher vision
Anne Frank once wrote:
“In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”
That may be the most extraordinary line ever written. She believed it while hiding from people who wanted her dead.
If Anne could believe in human goodness then, we can believe in it now.
Let’s prove her right.
Let’s choose compassion over cruelty.
Let’s stand up for one another across borders.
Let’s silence the voices of fear not by shouting back but by choosing unity again and again.
Because Anne’s diary isn’t just a warning.
It’s a torch.
And it’s in our hands now.
So here’s what we can collectively do.
Stand for unity. Across color. Across race. Across borders. Across religions.
When you hear fear, answer with love.
When you hear division, answer with solidarity.
When a politician uses scapegoating, vote the other way.
The only way to honor Anne is to prove her right—that humanity is good at heart.
And that goodness becomes real when we act.
Because history doesn’t just happen to us. It is written by our choices—and our silence.
I’d like to hear from you: Drop a comment below—let’s create a conversation around unity, compassion, and what it means to stand for humanity in our time.
1,246 Responses
I really admire you for giving your voice to the Palestinians as a public figure and doing it with a beautiful message of love, sharing and understanding for all. We are all human beings and we all deserve as much. Thanks for your example and inspiration.
Thank you @Vishen for this piece. I see it as a powerful and necessary mirror and appreciate you holding it up.
One reflection I’d like to add in support of you being generous enough to share this, is that I truly believe we urgently need people and public spaces that don’t flinch from discomfort, but instead make space for dangerous conversations. Anne Frank’s diary doesn’t just recount history, it actually demands that we interrogate the present. It asks us to notice patterns, question what is “normal,” and hold up uncomfortable truths about cruelty, complicity, and silence. And we need this!
That’s why, for example, I value the choice of the Irish National Theater to commission and present the works of the Palestinian company Khashabi Theatre (2025) and Ukraine’s Lesya Ukrainka National Academic Drama Theatre (2023). This was not just a programming choice, it was a courageous and necessary act of cultural and civic leadership. These works are not simply performances. They are provocations. They invite audiences to reflect not only on the stories of others but on our own roles as bystanders, bridge-builders, or border-makers. This is exactly what you have done here and what you ask is for us to think, react and consciously engage with what is happening in our world.
In times of increasing polarization and fear, everyone has the responsibility to hold up mirrors. We must provide the infrastructure to confront the hardest questions:
– What are we willing to see?
– Whose suffering do we turn away from?
– How might our silence be part of the problem?
This blog may feel uncomfortable—or even polarizing—for some readers. But that’s precisely why it matters. If we only speak when consensus is guaranteed, we avoid the very conversations that hold space for and shift perspectives. And it’s in this space—between discomfort and dialogue—that we are given an opportunity to hear and see.
This is disgusting. Comparing Jews with Nazis is antisemitism according to the IHRA definition. If Anne Frank was in Gaza today she’d be one of the 50 hostages still being held, starving in Gaza’s tunnels – because she’s a Jew
Take our dead out of your mouth and stick to what you do best. This is so offensive
Vishen, thank you ever so much for being and acting from bravery; for having the courage to speak the Truth of your heart and your convictions; for being a voice for unity, compassion, for LOVE over Fear, and to the CALL for each of us to live and express the goodness inherent within our ONE SHARED Human Heart! Blessings to you!
Dear Vishen
My name is Gilead, and I am Israeli. I want to share with you a personal perspective on the current war in Gaza. I write not only as an Israeli but also as someone who believes in a two-state solution, in human rights, and in the importance of compassion and truth. I stand against racism, dehumanization, and collective punishment, and I value freedom, justice, and peace. Besides that, what concerns me most is environment and climate change, issues in which I am deeply involved.
The story of this conflict stretches back thousands of years. The Jewish people have been rooted in the Land of Israel for over 3,000 years, with Jerusalem as their historic capital. Even during centuries of exile, persecution, and dispersion, Jewish identity and prayer always returned to Zion. Throughout history, Jews endured expulsions, pogroms, and discrimination across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. This long history of persecution culminated in the Holocaust, when six million Jews were murdered by Nazi Germany. It was the ultimate proof of what happens to a people without a homeland.
In response to this tragedy, the United Nations voted in 1947 to partition the British Mandate of Palestine into two states – one Jewish, one Arab – with Jerusalem under international administration. The Jewish leadership accepted the plan; the Arab leadership rejected it. In 1948, one day after Israel declared independence, five Arab armies invaded. Israel survived, and from its first day, its Declaration of Independence made a remarkable promise:
“The State of Israel will be open for Jewish immigration… based on freedom, justice, and peace… complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants… will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education, and culture… safeguard the Holy Places of all religions… faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations.”
Over the years, Israel fought several wars but also made peace: with Egypt in 1979 and with Jordan in 1994. In the 1990s, the Oslo Accords brought new hope, establishing the Palestinian Authority and granting self-rule in Gaza and parts of the West Bank. In 2005, Israel withdrew completely from Gaza – dismantling all 21 settlements and removing every soldier – in the hope that Palestinians could build their own future in peace.
Instead, in 2007, Hamas violently took over Gaza from the Palestinian Authority, executing rivals and ruling with force. Hamas’s 1988 Charter denies Israel’s right to exist, calls for its annihilation, and glorifies violent jihad, promising heavenly rewards to those who kill Jews. It famously declares that all of historic Palestine – from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea – is an Islamic endowment that cannot be conceded. In 2017, Hamas published a new policy document with softer language, but it still refused to recognize Israel and maintained the goal of “liberating” all of Palestine.
Since 2005, Gaza has received billions of dollars in international aid. Qatar alone sent about $1.3 billion between 2012 and 2021. In 2014, donors pledged $5.4 billion for reconstruction. By 2016, more than 680,000 tons of cement and other building materials had entered Gaza. But instead of investing in homes, schools, and hospitals, Hamas diverted these resources to build hundreds of miles of reinforced tunnels, bunkers, and rocket-launching infrastructure. They placed weapons and command posts under mosques, schools, and hospitals, using civilians as shields.
Then came October 7, 2023. In a coordinated attack, Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel, murdering around 1,200 people – men, women, children, and the elderly – in their homes, on roads, and at a music festival. More than 250 people were abducted, and dozens remain hostages to this day. It was the deadliest single day for Jews since the Holocaust.
I must also respond to a comparison you made between Israel and the Nazis, invoking the words of Anne Frank. With respect, this comparison is deeply painful and historically false. The Holocaust was a systematic attempt to annihilate the entire Jewish people everywhere, simply for being Jewish. Anne Frank was murdered at 15 because she was a Jewish child. Israel, born from that catastrophe, does not seek extermination – it is defending itself against a movement, Hamas, whose charter openly calls for the destruction of Israel and glorifies killing Jews. On October 7, we saw that ideology carried out. To equate Israel’s defense with Nazi genocide inverts history and dishonors Anne’s memory.
Anne Frank’s most famous line – “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart” – must inspire us to seek peace and protect life, not to distort the past. Her diary should remind us why Jews needed a homeland: so that no other child would ever again be hunted for being Jewish.
Today, Israel is fighting not for conquest but for survival. It faces an enemy that has already carried out mass slaughter, openly declares its intent to do so again, and embeds itself among civilians to make defense harder. Israel is a democracy – with daily protests by citizens who oppose government policies and call for accountability. Gaza, under Hamas, has no such freedom: no protests against the misuse of aid, no demonstrations against October 7, no space for dissent.
I will not pretend that everything is perfect in Israel. I myself oppose the extremism in parts of our current government. But Israel, for all its flaws, does not carry a charter calling for the destruction of another people. Hamas does.
This leads me to a moral question: how can the values of human rights and international humanitarian law be reconciled with a founding document that calls for the annihilation of a neighboring nation? And a personal question: What would you do if you lived next to a neighbor who refused to recognize your right to exist — and vowed, in word and deed, to destroy you?
One last request, please do yourself and me a favor – do not believe me! Check out the facts of the above written, then comment, and ask me whatever questions you wish.
I write this with determination to survive and with hope for a day when Israeli and Palestinian children can grow up together in peace, enriching one another and building a better future.
Amiably yours,
I’ve witnessed Mindvalley’s growth, development, and expansion for at least 10 years. Today, I’m a member and love your quests and the wide variety of topics on this wonderful platform. Thank you so much, Vishen, for giving these two Syrians a chance in 2016! Thank you for honoring Anne Frank with your deeply moving and touching post! This is a wake-up call. Even though the circumstances 80 years ago differ greatly in detail from those today, your call for humanity, unity, and understanding is timely and urgently needed.
Dear Vishen,
I just want to take a moment to thank you, from the deepest place in my heart, for this incredibly courageous and compassionate letter. Reading it stirred something in me—admiration, hope, and a profound sense of connection to the truth you speak.
As I think of Ivo Andrić’s words: “There come times when wisdom falls silent, fools speak up, and scoundrels get rich,” it feels as though we are living in one of those times. Too often, I see spiritual teachers remaining silent, turning away from injustice, or suggesting that we should “only think positively,” avoiding the hard realities because “what we focus on grows.” It may feel safe, but how can we tell children who are thirsty, hungry, or wounded by war to simply focus on something beautiful?
This is why your voice matters so profoundly. You remind us that true spirituality is never about avoidance or convenience. It is about compassion, courage, and taking responsibility for the suffering of others. Your honesty and bravery restore my faith that there are spiritual teachers who understand that love is inseparable from action, that support must be tangible, and that awareness is a gift we owe to the world.
For me, you embody the essence of a great spiritual teacher. Your words do more than inspire reflection—they awaken a call to live with heart, integrity, and courage. Thank you for standing as a light in a world that so often chooses silence.
With all my admiration and heartfelt gratitude, Maja
How can unity, compassion, and love be wrong? In them lies the future of our species and the world.
I usually don’t read full blogs/newletters (who has the time, really?) – but this one stopped me in my tracks. It is honest and heart-felt and I applaud you for it.
Such a beautiful message and platform to say it as it is and unite us all. We are one humanity as your message says and no one deserves such suffering or cruelty based on where they live, their religion, race or beliefs.
Fear divides humanity but when we throw love and not hate, love will always win.
Fake news Vishen, shame on you. All you had to do was ask your AI
I completely agree with you and appreciate you speaking out in peace, educating and raising awareness. Words are very powerful, for better or worse.
So thankful for your ability to capture the thoughts of many & to encourage (drive) us to action & not silence or acceptance.
I couldn’t agree more! Thank you for speaking out.
Please continue what you are doing to support the change so badly needed in this world. Heart felt love, kindness, compassion, understanding and hugs are what is needed – NOT JUDGEMENT. Blessings to you.
Vishen. . . this may be the most profound blog post you have ever written. I am grateful to you for opening the conversation in a raw, real way. You remind us that it is powerful to look at the past, the lessons all of us, all of humanity, have staring right at us and yet, forgetting to learn and grow from them. This is a powerful reminder to “fly the flag” of humanity — we are all one, sharing this earth and its gifts — and isolated, selfish-desires ultimately serve no one. Let us all respect and appreciate our diversity, of appearance, points of view, perspectives, as that is what makes our global community enriching, engaging, fulfilling, and so deserving of one another’s love.
I accidentally clapped twice for this, wondering what that icon was. Reduce you claps by 2. This article is poorly informed and I’m saddened that so many ignore the truth while attempting to point blame at others instead of the actual guilty party. Sorry Vishen, we should have unity, but ignoring the truth is like putting bandage next to the wound instead of on it. Good luck keeping it from getting infected and eventually cutting it off. To heal properly, you address the real issues and facts. Would you like a doctor to remove 10% of your tumor if they could and should remove the whole thing safely? Address the entire problem or admit you aren’t ready to complete the procedure.
You make too much money off your subscribers to feed them this bias and unfounded speech against Israel and the US. This does not cause unity because you left out a lot that matters as if it’s not important. They are not perfect, but acting like the extremists living among the people in Gaza or the millions of undocumented immigrants in the US are nothing to be concerned about is a gross disregard of reality and causes more harm than good. Have you lived in the cities most affected by immigrants in the US? Do you know what the communities have experienced that has led them to supportive of ICE raids? Have you seen the billions of dollars worth of drugs, including fentanyl that has been confiscated and collected since January in the US?
Use your platform if you must, but I hope and prey you use it more tactfully. Lives are on the line and I don’t just mean in Gaza. This is a world issue that is simply magnified by their conflict. Honestly, I know mind is on unity and growth so I’m confused by this. I wonder why you left so much out. Do you not want to offend the allies of violent perpetrators in Gaza or other powerful people in our world? What is the real truth here? You really have me wondering.
I believe that you want to do good so I hope you will speak all truth not just half of it. Truth is always good, even when it hurts, because it allows you to find a foundation that will launch you forward with grace. Some will despise your grace, but they will not be able to deny it because it is based in truth. God bless you my friend, so you are able to work for good even when those you are aligned with, doubt you.
Thank you for this article. it exposes the bias of mindvalley and makes my decision to leave much easier.
I want to thank Vishen for his invitation tò share prayers ,thoughs reflections,another opportunity tò remind us of the Power of the Group,the Power of Positive Vibrations. It”s true we are Spirits in a material world,and most of us don’t Remember anything once we’re born ,but never before have we reached Unprecedented Levels of Insanity ,despite the effort of various religions tò remind us tò Practice Unconditional Love for One Another. Anne Frank was a beautiful soul,Just as every single person in Gaza Is a beautiful soul.So It doesn’t matter whether you belong tò any religion or not..Let’s send out a Strong and Decisive Call tò Stop this Madness that the Israeli goverment Is committing !. Love and peace tò all !! Namastè
NOT THE SAME. What happened to Anne Frank and the Jews was very wrong.
The immigrants were too much at once and the reason was for political gain.
Unfortunately many did not appreciate the gift of citizen ship handed to them and tried to change this country.
Thank God for Trump.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an unprovoked, brutal attack on Israel. Over 1,200 people were murdered in a single day , men, women, children, and the elderly. Entire families were burned alive, people were raped, and more than 250 were kidnapped into Gaza, including babies and Holocaust survivors. It was the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.
Some women and children hostages have since been released, but many hostages remain in captivity. Until they are safely returned, Israel has no choice but to continue fighting. No country on earth would accept such atrocities against its citizens.
If Hamas had the ability, every Israeli (myself included) would face the same fate: rape, murder, or abduction. Their charter openly calls for the destruction of Israel and the killing of Jews everywhere.
That is why comparisons of Israeli leaders’ language to Nazi propaganda are misleading and deeply painful. A far fairer historical parallel would be the United States and Britain fighting the Nazi machine in World War II, not the Nazis themselves. Like them, Israel is facing a genocidal enemy determined to wipe us out.
I also want to be clear: I don’t believe Israeli leadership is beyond criticism. In fact, I personally wish the war would end tomorrow. But it is complicated,Israel does not benefit financially or otherwise from controlling Gaza. The only reason for military action is the safety and survival of the Israeli population in the face of an enemy that has promised to strike again.
I do not deny that war is horrific for all sides, including innocent Palestinians. But to equate Israel’s defensive struggle for survival with Nazi extermination distorts history. What began this war was not “words,” but the worst massacre of Jews in a single day in nearly 80 years.
I hope we can agree that recognizing the full truth of October 7 is the starting point for any moral discussion.