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
Creo que si comparan a Israel con los nazis están en un terrible error .
Los terroristas de hamas iniciaron la guerra atacándose de una manera bestial a niños quemándolos vivos y viiolaron mujeres y a los rehenes los torturan día a día . Los palestinos dieron pistas ya que ellos trabajaban con los israelíes . Mordieron la mano de quien les dio de comer .
Y participaron en la masacre .
Israel solo se defiende y los misiles con los cuales han sido atacados a niños y mujeres lo desintegra un dron sino ya hubieran matado civiles .
Israel les entrega suministros a los palestinos se los roba hamas . Y los ponen de escudos humanos para levantar la opinión pública contra Israel .
En Israel 🇮🇱 viven árabes con una excelente calidad de vida . Respetan a las mujeres y a la lgbt 🏳️🌈 no como en los países árabes que dominan a las mujeres y matan a los de lgbt 🏳️🌈
Su propaganda es completamente falsa para manipular a la gente ignorante de la verdad .
Si hay musulmananes que viven con ética .
Pero los fanáticos del islam quieren matar a todo el que no es fiel a su ala
Todos los católicos y de otras religiones serían infieles y serían asesinados .El genocidio del holocausto de los judíos también fue para todos los que no acataran el régimen nazi .
Es imperdonable .
El judaísmo representa la primera revuelta en Egipto de libertad de la esclavitud .
Y los dictadores del país que sean no lo van aceptar
Son valores universales humanos para transmitirlos a toda la humanidad con los de otras culturas que hablan de paz y respeto
Hi Vishen, i received your email and found time to read it. I am very touched by the way you shared the story and made conclusions for all of us. You are a true pioneer in terms of human psychology and you do it with such elegance and love. You deserve the best, dude!
I usually love to receive random bits of content from you, since you share it passionately with the world, what works for you. Your work matters so much, a lot of people benefit from your efforts.
You deserve the best, you are a golden Dude!
Muy bien dicho vishen, los que creen tener la verdad la convierten en lanza de batalla, hoy ellos repiten lo que a sus abuelos les hicieron los nazis.. no se dan cuenta que es lo mismo,? O estan buscando quien se las paga por lo del genocido.
Un Urra!!!, por la humanidad por la convivencia y la unidad mundial.
A URRA !!!, for humanity for coexistence and world unity
Gracias, te escribo desde Colombia, ejerzo la docencia y leerte me conecta con el amor que somos todos, a partir de lo que escribes, me recuerda que como docente puedo ser luz y acompaño con oración toda la realidad que nos acompaña.
Muchas gracias.
About the Israeli hostages and the Hamas attacks, rapes, and murders—you say nothing. You have no real understanding of what is happening in the Middle East, only empty, politically correct words. If Anne Frank were alive today and living in southern Israel, she might have been raped and murdered by Hamas. Do not dare to use her name to accuse the Jewish people. From this moment on, I want nothing to do with Mindvalley. I am unsubscribing from your messages and will never participate in any of your activities again.
Vishen, te sigo y te leo desde hace mucho, y hoy tus palabras, tu reflexión ha llegado a lo más profundo de mi corazón y me estoy preguntando: ¿Qué es lo que estamos haciendo como humanidad? o mejor aún ¿Qué es lo que no estamos siendo? La historia siempre se proyecta por eso se repite, pero hoy tenemos una oportunidad diferente de ser desde el lugar donde estamos, desde casa, con la familia, con los amigos, con la comunidad a la cual pertenecemos, desde ahí es donde también podemos ser mas incluyentes, solidarios, lideres, y agentes de cambio positivo. Talvez no todos tengamos un rol como quienes tienen el reflector para movilizar masas, pero si podemos expandir una consciencia diferente para todas aquellas pequeñas gazas que arden en nuestro entorno. Gracias por recordarnos el valor de la unidad y de nuestra humanidad.
Hola. A veces leo, y acá pasa también, como si fuéramos idiotas y le hiciéramos caso a cualquier “líder” que dice algo. Vivimos con la incertidumbre de los malditos inmigrantes que han llegado a Chile, no nos cuentas cuentos, los vivimos día a día.
Nadie le teme a los inmigrantes porque sí, es lo que algún cercano ha vivido, la propia familia, uno mismo. Acá en Chile está todo cerrado a las 19 horas por temor. Y no solo a los inmigrantes delincuentes, también a los delincuentes de nuestro mismo país, que ahora, entre ambos grupos, hacen secuetros, mutilaciones, extorsiones, etc.
Lo de Gaza es otra cosa. Ustedes consideran los secuestro de octubre 2024, o solo ven desde los ataques de Israel en adelante? Ahí hay algo antiguo, es verdad, quien empezó? No tengo idea, depende de a quién le preguntes, pero las razones de un lugar y otro son distintas. En un “país”, son todos bienvenidos, con todas las diferencias que se quieran, en el otro no, ahí radica la verdadera libertad, y esa se debe defender. Quien lo haga me da lo mismo, cuando no hay quien lo haga en el interior, de un hogar, de una ciudad, de un país, alguien de afuera debe hacerlo.
No entiendo eso de Florida y su prohibición, pero algo abrá, o algún error o sesgo. Ojalá sea claro el mensaje, y si es una buena decisión que se haga, sino, que se reverse.
Hay mucha enseñanza en sus mensajes y lo agradezco.
Amigo, creo que no has tenido la oportunidad de hacer los cursos de Mindvalley que hablan de meditación o los que de una u otra forma nos dicen en ser mejores seres humanos, pero estoy seguro que pronto los harás.
Te escribo desde un país que ha sido por décadas migrante en su propia tierra y en tierras lejanas y desde hace una década mas o menos receptor de migrantes. La migración ocurre por multiples factores que casi se resumen en falta de oportunidades, falta de acceso a los servicios fundamentales para tener una vida digna y desplazamiento forzoso.
El porcentaje de migrantes por gusto es menor a los que sufren los factores que nombré, y dentro de los migrantes podemos encontrar un sin número de tipos de personas, desde los que realmente buscan oportunidades y quieren surgir, que normalmente son silenciosos y los que quieren ganarse la vida pasando sobre la integridad y vida de los demás que son los más bulliciosos. Es decir, nunca vamos a escuchar mayor cosa de los casos de gente honrada que sale adelante sino los casos de los que hacen daño, y así como lo comentas los que hacen daño terminan uniéndose y poco o nada importa de donde vienen, porque ellos no discriminan a quién hacer daño.
Lo que no podemos hacer es meter a todos en la misma bolsa, no podemos equiparar al honrado con el malvado, porque eso lleva a convertir a todo un grupo en enemigos, niños, mujeres, abuelos, y ese es el primer paso para que sucedan atrocidades como lo vemos en varias partes del mundo.
Lo de Gaza tu mismo estás dando la pausa para hacer el análisis. Preguntas que si se consideró el secuestro del 2024 , que no sabes quién empezó y que eso depende de a quién le preguntes. Entonces para eso debes identificar los hechos más que los puntos de vista y los hechos están documentados. Naciones extranjeras decidieron sobre una nación y sobre un grupo gigante de migrantes y dijo, te voy a dar este territorio (que no es de nosotros ni queda en nuestros países) para que vivan y creen un estado.
Ellos llegaron y después de un tiempo dijeron, pero si en un libro dice que nos prometieron esta tierra, entonces tenemos derecho a toda ella y muchos comenzaron a tomar a la fuerza mas tierras de las que les habían dado los países extranjeros, siempre colocando por encima un discurso de una moralidad más alta y santa que la de sus vecinos.
De eso ya van decenas de años apoderándose de más tierras, desplazando personas y dejando a varios con familiares muertos y llenos de dolor y con ganas de vengarse y a otros con ganas de frenar eso a toda costa.
Y en general en lo que sucede en todo EEUU, tu país, el mío, oriente medio y Africa principalmente es que convertimos a personas en que valen más, mientras otras valen menos, y eso termina generando odios de parte y parte.
My family has served in law enforcement and the military for generations and I find it quite awful that you compare them to Nazi’s. I only recently joined Mindvalley and just cancelled my membership because of this blog/email. I’m quite disappointed.
Laura, are you guilty of something? Or are you so shallow minded as not to grasp the depth of the content.
Laura, are you guilty of something? Or are you so shallow minded as not to grasp the depth of the content.
Laura, you won’t see this if you’ve cancelled your membership but will do if you change your mind – and changing one’s mind is the only way we can truly and conflicts. I had to go back on Vishen’s article, to find where he had referenced law enforcement and the military specifically, and he didn’t, he referred to politicians and leaders who (from my understanding) either break or corrupt laws, and those in the military who do their bidding. Open your mind and see the bigger picture. This applies to anyone reading this – brilliant article –I felt it more and cried when I read Vishen’s piece when I read it because last night I watched a documentary marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, where journalist Jordan Dunbar meets with survivors of the Holocaust and travels to visit the camp. Horrific! We need reminding because what is happening in the US and Gaza is horrific and should be compared to then – I agree history is not past, its looping and we must break the loop! Well said Vishen.
It’s important to ask yourself today: What would Anne Frank say about religious fundamentalism, terrorism, the postulate of denying the existence of a state or trying to erase it from the map? What would Anne Frank say about the attacks, rapes, murders, and kidnappings of October 7, 2023? I greet you with affection and respect. It’s good to know what you have to say about all of this.
¡TENE CUIDADO, VISHEN, MUUCHOOO CUIDADO! EL ZANAHORIO PUEDE REVOCAR TU VISA USA.-
PUEDE ECHAR A TUS HIJOS DE UNIVERSIDADES YANQUIS…
ESTAN EXPULSANDO A TODOS LOS MORENOS, Y NO DISTINGUIRAN QUE UDS. NO SON MEXICANOS, SALVADOREÑOS, ETC.-
Me encantó tu mensaje, los líderes políticos se llenan de poder, ambición y egoísmo, y arrastran a su pueblo a la desgracia. Es horrible que en la época actual se pueda ver tanta violencia, odio y destrucción. Debemos orar y manifestar paz y armonía, en nuestros corazones y en el mundo entero. 🙏🌎
Hey.
As usual, you strike a nerve.
Attitude is everything, but balance is often overlooked.
We, generally speaking, have learned to forgive and absolve the German people for the crimes committed by the Nazis.
Modern Germany is an economic and political participant of the ‘West.’
Although your analogy could not be more true and appropriate, by ignoring the violent actions and rhetoric of Palestinian terrorists, you ignore the constant threats facing the Israeli people.
You imply that official Israeli statements reflect the will of ALL Jewish people, whereas you acknowledge that the policies of the current US government do not represent the common people.
I can’t agree more with your sentiment. What is missing is balance.
Jewish and Palestinian people would like peace in their world, yet they have difficulty seeing the world as their opposite does. Extremists and terrorists dominate the news cycles, and the plight of ordinary citizens is too often portrayed with political rhetoric.
Hamas publicly seeks the death of Israel and has been conducting terror attacks against Israel since its inception, while consciously operating near or within civilian sites. How they stole the rule of Gaza is another matter. Palestinian civilians are more victims of their own than of the Israelis.
I could go on, but the complexity of this conflict absolves no one from perpetuating the hatred for each other since Palestinian lands were annexed for Israel back in 1949.
Scapegoating fuels the fire. Recognizing each other as human beings with legitimate concerns could be a new beginning.
We are one world, self-destructing with division and hatred.
As witnessed by the collective observations following this blog post, how you are framing your arguments arouses strong, quite polarized responses. Perhaps taking a step back might be helpful. Critiques are only half of solving this puzzle. The other half is brainstorming constructive ways to address an issue more effectively, while honoring our intent.
For example, what are the core problems the ICE campaign is attempting to address? What social deficits are being attributed to immigrants? How can we creatively address these challenges without the destructive, divisive, inhumane policies currently being implemented?
What were the problems this US administration promised to fix, without sharing the specifics of how they were going to do it? What are the concerns of the rank-and-file voters who provided the mandate?
Or perhaps I’m suggesting that like-minded individuals come together to offer a healthier, viable alternative before it’s too late.
As a global community choosing peace we can do something. For example, HeartMind Institute has a free Global Coherence App to shift the vibration of the humanity together. By becoming a more balanced and peaceful person we help each other.
“Unity across stripes, colors, races, and ethnicities. Unity across cultures, religions, and especially across borders.” What about sexual orientation and gender identity/expression? Or disability? So often I hear people preaching about being accepting and supportive of “everybody,” but that “everybody” so often fails to actually include everyone. Who was the target of the Trump administration on Day 1? It wasn’t just refugees and immigrants – it was transgender people. Suicide is higher among LGBTQ+ people, and especially the youth. The changes implemented by Trump against transgender adults and youth will not only result in more suicides, but he has demonized gender non-conforming people such that they are subject to even more violence and hatred than before. If we leave anybody out of the “everybody,” then “unity” has already failed. It is picking and choosing who is included, which defeats the fundamental ideal.
If we do not deal with our own sense of victimhood, we will become righteous offenders.
Every single one of us carries this shadow. Hence the need to master it.
I think when making sweeping statement’s, we need to be factually accurate. confusion and misinformation is destructive and hurtful, there has been confusion and misinformation circulating about whether *The Diary of Anne Frank* has been banned in Florida schools. The truth is more nuanced: the book itself has **not been banned statewide**, but a specific **graphic novel adaptation** faced removal in one district.
What Actually Happened
– **The original book** (*The Diary of a Young Girl* by Anne Frank) remains available in Florida schools and libraries. It has not been banned statewide.
– **The adaptation in question** was *Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation* by Ari Folman and illustrator David Polonsky.
– In 2023, the **Indian River County School District** in Florida removed this graphic novel version from its middle school libraries after a parent complaint. The objection was not to Anne Frank’s story itself, but to a few passages in the adaptation that reference Anne’s exploration of her own body and sexuality.
## Clarifications
– This removal was **district-level**, not a statewide ban. Other districts in Florida still have the graphic novel available.
– The **original diary** remains widely taught and accessible in Florida schools.
– The controversy is part of a broader wave of book challenges in Florida, where recent legislation has made it easier for parents to request the review or removal of books they consider inappropriate.
In Summary,
Florida has not banned *The Diary of Anne Frank*. The confusion stems from the removal of a **graphic novel adaptation** in one school district, due to parental objections over sexual content. The original diary continues to be available and taught in Florida schools.
Important to do the research ~
What’s happening in Gaza is terrible and what happened in Israel was terrible. The truth is that Hamas has used and abused the people there and used them mercilessly— the very definition of Tyrants.
War is always horrible and innocent, sweet, precious people suffer and die. All nations should work with all their power to end it.
The Israeli and Palestinian conflict is complicated and deep. Certainly not one sided!
It’s heartbreaking what is happening and we should be working as a world to stop it, I agree with that.
I think it is very bold of you to think that you can speak for Anne, or any other deceased person, on these issues .
I love a lot of your work and I appreciated what are trying to do.
Thanks for your clarification
I do not approve of any of the political influence that is controlling the entire world today! We are controlled by the media and the governmental powers that dictate what we are or are not permitted to see or read. This ultimately ends with controlling our feelings, especially towards each other.
I am thoroughly saddened by the lack of compassion for all human souls as we are all one energy and what hurts one hurts all. May we open our eyes and realize that all this hatred and division is destroying humanity. I am broken hearted that we can not find some love for another human being! May God help us all.
I love, that you position yourself. WHat is happening in the world right now is horrible. And the way several countires are headed (mine included) is scary.
Thank you for your message, Vishen. Anne Frank has, curiously, been on my mind too for the last week and your message resonates strongly with me. I am thankful that you, as a world leader, are speaking up as we are all influenced by the tremors of this conflict, even though some of us live far away from it.
I do sometimes feel confused as to what is expected of me in these turbulent times, but I think there are a few things that I have decided for myself:
Praying for and sending compassion and love to both those who are hurting and those who hurt on both sides of the conflict.
A few years ago I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease and I have healed by learning to listen and embrace, rather than resist, integrating wounded parts. I always have this sense that humanity at this stage is like a bigger body with an auto-immune disease, cells killing each other. No body can thrive if it is divided. And no disease can heal if it is resisted. For myself I am choosing to listen to and embrace both sides. Choosing to be a pilgrim who walk more slowly, crossing barriers, trying to understand the other side.
And then, healing the parts of me that are being triggered by the war. I believe that this is an opportunity for collective healing. And every time we take time to feel and process and transform, we help the collective consciousness heal. I remember that Anne Frank wrote in her diary something about how the dividedness that was raging on the outside, was somehow also in their space and in their hearts. Having the insight that we are all part of the consciousness that are keeping war alive on earth.
Lastly, holding space for miracles to unfold in the midst of all the tragedy. Opening up to new possibilities, opening up to new ways of connecting with each other, opening up to a new paradigm. Playing the unique role that we have to play in building a new world.