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
Vishen, I hope this experience has been very transformative for you. And like Frank said, going forward, I hope you choose to stay in your lane of personal development. In my life, I have literally never received an e-mail that was so offensive!!
Please correct me if I am wrong, but the Nazis target jews simply because they are jew; ICE today target illegal alien, key word is “illegal” If they want to come to America, why not apply for visas? Why do people around the world assume they have a right to live in USA? Everyone deserve and have the right to live for sure, but depends on where you are from, this rigth might not be fully respected by your local government. But how is that USA’s responsibility?
They are targeting anyone who “looks” non white. They are taking people who are legally here, born here, and have citizenship. It is discriminating on color alone.
Over the years, I have given Mindvalley loads of free advertising – through word of mouth. This will never happen again. Nor will Mindvalley ever gain my business, personally.
For anyone who is reconsidering their membership, as a result of Vishen’s comments – you can easily find access to any of the speakers/teachers just by googling them. In fact, if you do this, you will likely find something cheaper – even if it’s just a book or utube videos. Why waste your money on a Mindvalley membership?
I truly wonder what “Anna Frank’s” response would be if she learned about Oct 7. The rapes, the tortures, the massacre, and about all the hostages that rot in the tunnels of Hamas. If you write a piece of literature, a blog, or an imaginary conversation, at least make it well-informed.
Well said. Thank you.
Well spoken B.R.! Based on this article I assume Vishen does not care to research the truth about the islamists. He prefers to divide this community and spread misinformation. So disappointed and sad to see this kind of manipulation from him as this is the face of Mindvalley now. Bye bye
Thank you for speaking up and sharing this important message ❤️
NOT ONE WORD ABOUT THE HOSTAGES???????
WHAT ABOUT THE JEWISH HOSTAGES THAT WERE RAPED AND DEHUMANIZED BY THE PALESTINIANS???????
WHO STARTED THIS WAR????
I COME FROM A FAMILY OF HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS…HOW DARE YOU USE OUR HISTORY FOR YOUR PERSONAL PROPAGANDA?????????
SHAME ON YOU FOR TRYING TO JUSTIFY TERRORISM!!!!!!!
ICE deporting illegal immigrants back to their own countries is not equal to what the Nazis did to the Jews! NO WHERE CLOSE! Ridiculous!
I don’t have enough factual information about the Jews in Israel and the Palestinians and their deep history to offer up a solution here but PEACE, giving back the hostages they still have, and not killing each other is a good place to start. Both sides have incident victims. Not only one side!!
What are your personal suggestions for solutions throughout the world?
Open borders are illogical, and believing that people should be given special privileges because they are a certain race is not an enlightened belief.
There are fine lines within the big giant story that we are watching and experiencing and absolute BLACK AND WHITE, ALL OR NOTHING THINKING is NOT a sane solution.
There are nuances of right and wrong, good and bad.
Lawlessness is not enlightenment.
Stealing is not enlightened.
Absolute hate of a person, or a party, or a group of people, is not enlightened.
I’m disappointed in this overgeneralized post.
And let’s ALL remember, those who are without sin can cast the first stone. NO HUMAN IS PERFECT! NOT ONE!
I remind myself frequently that if I were president of any country, at least half of the country would hate me.
Even God, Buddha or Allah, can’t make mankind happy.
So many complainers and finger pointers, us humans!!
I totally agreed with your sentiments Vishen. It reminds
Me an all of LOVE day yesterday “I am Love” when the song came to mind ..Love is in the air everywhere I go….and I smiled 😇🙏….
There are three so called World Leaders committing War crimes who should be suffering in a prison camp or shot!
You are right, Vishen! Dehumanisation of the “enemy” happens in all wars.
I want to share a quote with you from A Course in Miracles:
“Ego perceives itself at war, and therefore in need of allies. You, who are not at war, must look for brothers and recornize all whom you see as brothers, because ONLY EQUALS ARE AT PEACE. Because God’s equal sons have everything, they cannot complete. Yet, if they perceive any of their brothers as anything other than their perfect equals, the idea of competition has entered their minds. Do not underestimate your need to be vigilant against this idea, because all your conflicts come from it”.
Thank you for you good work. Wishing you – and all – peace!
-Ana, allow-healing.com
Thank you, Vishen, for asking for our comments.
My mother was born, at the beginning of the war, in Hungary – and like Anne Franks – she was hidden, part way through the war, until the end. On my father’s side, in Poland, relatives were sent to gas chambers in droves. Perhaps, needless to say, my upbringing was quite screwed up. Enter Mindvalley (lol).
Upon reading your email I was disturbed to see the founder of Mindvalley – someone I respect very much – pile on – seemingly unknowingly – to ‘the war on propaganda’.
I marvel at the strength, resilience – and above all – integrity that Israel has displayed in response to this conflict. Surrounded by enemies, and hugely outnumbered – they are fighting to free the hostages, keep their people safe, prevent the events of October 7th from re-occurring – all while feeding and protecting the Palestinian people – while their own government steals their food, and uses them as human shields. Israel has provided hundreds of millions of meals to the Palestinian civilians, built tunnels to allow the UN to safely deliver food, paused fighting on numerous occasions – and continually warned Palestinian civilians of unsafe conditions – through text messages, door knocking, and personal phone calls.
Still, the lies persist around the world, that Israel is committing a genocide – when, in fact, the shoe is on the other foot. Both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority seek the complete destruction of Israel – they only disagree on the ‘how’, or the strategy to accomplish this.
‘Pay-to-Slay’ policies award Palestinians’ pensions for killing Israelis and often, are proportional to the number of persons killed or injured. If an individual goes to jail, after committing a terrorist attack, their family receives the monetary reward. Hatred toward – and intrinsic benefits to killing Jews – is taught in Mosques, schools, and included in textbooks. If you wish to talk about ‘brules’, you should know, children are taught, if they seek the destruction of another, they will benefit – if not here, in an afterlife.
Media outlets around the world have become garbage dumps for terrorist propaganda. The term ‘Globalize the Intifada’ refers to extending the violence, toward Jews, worldwide. Many in my community feel scared, lost, helpless.
The only argument against the Israelis’ right to defend themselves – is that they are on occupied land. This argument falls flat in the face of genetic, archeological, and historical evidence – all which point to the Jews, originating from this land, we now call Israel or Palestine. Not to mention the Bible – the Jewish history book – which places Jews in Israel, thousands of years ago. And, of course, then there’s the UN’s decision – or vote, overwhelmingly in favour – of giving this land, which had been left barren, back to the Jews, in 1947.
It is hard to see what could change for the better, as long as the International Community continues to blame Israel. I know from experience, it is easy, when victimized, to allow your anger to fly in every direction, but placing it – or rather, responsibility – exactly where it belongs, is imperative. In this case, the responsibility lies entirely with Hamas. The Palestinian mandate to kill Jews, and destroy Israel, has failed them, and caused much pain – and it is only recognition of this, that could truly bring peace and restoration to both sides.
Vishen,
Thank you for this beautiful message and for reminding us that we have to stay together in these trying times. It truly breaks my heart to see the atrocities humans are capable of doing. I made the decision to not look at the latest news because I was getting very depressed, seeing the suffering of our world. I still cannot comprehend the human obsession of dividing people based on race, color or nationality and to inflict so much pain based solely on these factors. I truly hope to see this suffering end soon! Every human deserves a good life!
Thank you very much for this message. I t means a lot to me. I admire you even more
Good day,
I myself come from a Muslim family from Turkey and fled to Germany because of my journalistic activities, since there is no freedom of the press or freedom of opinion there, and if you criticize the despotic government, you are arrested. People suffer in almost all Islamist countries, and wherever Islamist organizations such as Hamas have taken power. These despots, like the Turkish president or Hamas, have the same ideology, and they can, without blinking, sacrifice thousands of people for their rule and ideology, as in Gaza.
In Gaza there was peace and prosperity for years until the Islamists attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, and massacred hundreds of civilians. Do you believe that if Hamas had the means, it would not kill all Jews? That would truly be a genocide! You should not believe the lies and propaganda spread daily by Hamas before you have researched objectively. Even international media such as the New York Times, BBC, and even aid organizations have fallen into this trap several times.
Of course, within the ranks of the Israeli government there are also radical people who can be criticized, but from Iran to Gaza there are these Islamist monsters who want to exterminate the Jewish people. They are the real ones responsible for all the suffering in these countries, and also in many countries in Africa where Islamists kill hundreds of Christians almost daily—yet hardly anyone talks about it.
Anne Frank was murdered by the Nazis in the first Holocaust, and of course Jews must defend themselves to prevent a second Holocaust. Please research thoroughly and do not compare what the Nazis did to the Jews—a genocide—with Gaza. Research how many Jews once lived in Islamist countries and how many remain; in many countries, almost none! By contrast, more than 1.5 million Arabs live in Israel.
Believe me, one of the greatest dangers for humanity today is Islamism. Most Muslims think about Jews and the West in the same way as Hamas! Because I come from a Muslim environment, I know exactly what I am talking about, and if this Islamism is not stopped here in the West, in a few years it will be too late and we will all witness how everything is destroyed, because the Islamists never, nowhere, integrate. But unfortunately, Islamism is tolerated here in the West with false tolerance.
If you want a future of peace, freedom, prosperity, and democracy for yourself and your children, then you must finally recognize this danger.
Thank you for your attention.
Disgusting misinformation and comparison between ISrael and Nazis ! also dirtying our memory and Anne Frank’s, to push your ridiculous lies ? you know what? Go to the holocaust museum, get an education, and then retract this ridiculous post and apologize ! this is not on !
Israel is nothing like Nazis. This comparisan is 100% antisemitic. I also suggest you share with your readers quotes from Hamas, Palestinian authorities but also arab leaders from Palestine like the Mufti of Jerusalem, from the 30s. Dont forget to explain to them that the arab leaders in the 30s were Nazi collaborators. While Anne Frank was hiding, the good mufti Al Husseini was asking Hitler to bring the FInal solution to Palestine. Get a grip man, this is disgusting and dangerous ! fix this !
Dear Vishen
Thank you for being the beacon of hope amidst the storm. May the thoughts you shared with your followers create ripples in the minds of many more.
The world needs to hear the solemn truth of Nature, the universal and fundamental truth, “Everyone has a good heart, they get hardened because of situations.”
When History Whispers a Warning!
Reading this post, and the story of Anne Frank, made my soul weep. It resonated on a deeply personal level.
I’ve stood in the solemn silence of the Anne Frank House, a place that forever etches the human cost of division into your heart. I never imagined I would one day feel a chilling connection between that history and my own life in the United States.
Yet, recently, as a 60-year-old woman of color, I made the heartbreaking decision to leave my country alone. I no longer felt safe. I saw the shadows of history repeating, the rhetoric of “the other” gaining terrifying momentum. A voice inside, echoed by the lessons of the past, screamed, “Get out as soon as you can.” It is a surreal and devastating feeling to hold your homeland in the same thought as the histories of Nazi Germany or other oppressive regimes.
But Anne’s story isn’t just one of fear; it is ultimately one of unwavering belief in good. And so I carry that belief forward. For over 20 years, I have worked to help women find safety and power through financial security and entrepreneurship. That mission does not end; it simply becomes global.
My contribution to unity is to continue this work—to empower women, to build bridges, and to create pockets of safety and opportunity wherever I am. Because if history teaches us what to flee from, stories like Anne’s remind us what we must tirelessly work toward: a world where no one is forced into hiding, and everyone has the freedom to shine.
I am an Australian. What you express is definitely relevant today when increasingly belligerent governments, ss in Australia, seek to gain more power by fostering division among the people. The vaxed vs the un-vaxed being a prime example.
The issue that bothers me most though is the surreptitious introduction of Shariya law into Australia. In my opinion there is only the single base of law in any country strictly based on the words of the constitution rather than interpretations driven by corporate infected political ambition.
Recently I watched a program where an Englishman who has studied the origin of religions could not find any historical evidence that Muhammad ever existed. The name refers to a title of reverence, a master, not a single individual at all.
Anyone who wants to concentrate their studies in or live according to any particular religion should respect and live according to the constitution of that country or leave. Otherwise the division among people will become like an infectious disease like ‘ vaxed or un-vaxed ‘, really human or partly robotic.
I agree it’s important to point out hate against Palestinians, but it is also important to point out hate against Jews. Anne Frank was a Jew. Hamas wants to eradicate Jews + that’s important to include in this narrative. Jews have deep roots in Israel, as documented in the Pentateuch + archeological findings from it. I wish I knew how both sides could live together in peace.
Anne Frank’s diary should not be banned, but it should be age appropriate. Anne + her friend’s boob is not child appropriate, we could keep that to an older crowd version. In 4th grade I felt gross about that. And also genocide is a heavy topic that teachers need to know how to navigate minors through. Especially for kids like I was, whose people have gone through genocide. It was too heavy on my little heart + I wondered if that could be me.
Fast forward to ICE, yeah that’s a parallel. Not the Holocaust, but it is dehumanizing + cold. US history does not emphasize how colonialism came with genocide. And how that eradication mission of Indigenous ppl (First Nations/Native Americans/Indigenous Latinos etc.) NEVER stopped. It deserves it’s own deep dive + coverage bc it’s horrific. From forced sterilizations, mass child kidnappings, whitewashing history to make Natives look inferior + therefore a “fair + rightful conquer”🤢…the erasure + persecution has never stopped. That is a very important discussion America needs to have.
The US demands the import of undocumented immigrants to exploit + blackmail them for profit, and then throws them under the bus with all the blame + consequence when they get caught. The US messed up many Latin American governments with our CIA, then point fingers at them in front of the world of how broken they are. The US demands sex workers, including minors…all these ppl obvi abused + then we treat these trafficked ppl worse than criminals. It’s horrific.
The world needs to look to goodness as power to help all, not looking to racial superiority as power by putting others down. That is pride + it comes before a fall.