An Instrument for Peace: Anne Frank Tree Preserves Legacy of Young Diarist

November 7, 2025 Isabel Gerheim

By CICADA HILL

Anne Frank’s legacy lives on at Seton Hill University. Frank was a German-born Jewish girl and diarist who died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp during the Holocaust. Within her diary, she discusses a horse-chestnut tree in the city center of Amsterdam, describing it from where she and her family were hiding from the Nazis during the Holocaust.

On May 7, 2025, a sapling from the described tree was planted on Seton Hill campus, across from the Sisters of Charity cemetery. James Paharik, the director of the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education [NCCHE] at Seton Hill, discussed the process and educational value behind planting the sapling here on campus.

“When the people at the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam realized that the tree was declining [in health], they began to collect some seedlings from it for preservation. They decided to donate a number of those seedlings to countries around the world, and here, in the United States, we have an Anne Frank Center USA that’s based in New York City. So, they [Anne Frank Center USA] were given some saplings to cultivate and preserve.” Paharik said, “They’ve got about a dozen of them by now, and they’ve been giving them to different places around the country.”

Lauren A. Bairnsfather, the CEO of the Anne Frank Center USA, said the sapling was “taken from the original tree that Anne Frank wrote about in her diary,” Bairnsfather continued, “It’s an honor to receive one.”

“We got one at Seton Hill just through luck,” Paharik said. “She [Bairnsfather] was nice enough to select Seton Hill as one of the locations for the tree,” Paharik stated.

“The saplings are going to places around the country, it’s part of preserving the memory of Anne Frank,” Paharik said. “Since we aren’t in Amsterdam, it’s a way of having a little bit of Amsterdam right here on the campus, so that we can think about Anne’s legacy and what it means today.”

Buildings and Grounds Staff plant the horse-chestnut sapling on campus, across from the Sisters of Charity cemetery. Photo by Cicada Hill.

The Anne Frank Tree works as a symbol of recognition, awareness, and hope. “She [Frank] mentions the tree several times in her diary, she talks about it as a sign of hope, you know, when the tree blooms again in the springtime, it’s encouragement to her and just a source of beauty in her very austere life,” Paharik said.

“Her [Anne Frank’s] diary is very moving, it’s a way to understand what people endured during the Holocaust, but even beyond that it’s a human document, it speaks to all of us in one way or another,” Paharik said.

Paharik stated, “We all continue to read the diary and continue to learn from it, so I think preserving her legacy this way is meaningful for all of us; those of us who teach about the Holocaust, and students who are reading the diary for the first time and beginning to learn about the Holocaust are moved by it, as well.”

Not only does the Anne Frank Tree provide educational value to the students of Seton Hill, it transcends to the community at large, as well. “I was eager to get the tree because we support a lot of the local schools, Catholic schools, and also other schools in the area, in doing Holocaust education.” Paharik said. “So, usually in middle school, students will encounter Anne Frank’s diary, and they’ll read such a powerful work. They’ll read about her thoughts, and what it was like for her and her family in hiding.”

“Having the tree here reminds us of Anne. It allows our [Seton Hill] students, and also K-12 students from the region, to come and experience the tree as they’re reading the diary, and hopefully it deepens their appreciation of what they’re reading and makes it seem more real,” Paharik said.

Those who have helped to found Seton Hill’s NCCHE also feel strongly about having the Anne Frank Tree here on Seton Hill campus. Paharik stated, “Our [Holocaust] Center was founded in 1987 by two Sisters of Charity, Sister Gemma Del Duca and Sister Noel Kernan.” Paharik continued, “Sister Noel passed away a few years ago at the age of 95, but Sister Gemma is still with us. The tree means a lot to her [Sister Gemma], she was very, very touched by the fact that we have the tree here.”

“She [Sister Gemma] thought it was significant because she’s admired Anne her whole life. It’s a comforting thought that the tree is here, and sort of a witness to what we are and how we’re living at Seton Hill,” Paharik said.

Sister Vivien Linkhauer, Sister Gemma Del Duca, Seton Hill President Mary Finger, NCCHE Director James Paharik, NCCHE Intern Isabel Gerheim standing in front of the horse-chestnut tree sapling after it was planted. Photo by Cicada Hill.

At the planting of the Anne Frank Tree on May 7, Sister Gemma Del Duca was in attendance, and witnessed the sapling being planted. “It’s like a jewel in the crown.” Sister Gemma Del Duca said. “It’s an instrument for peace.”

A formal dedication for the Anne Frank Tree was held on Thursday, September 25, 2025 in Cecilian Hall. “We have supporters of the center coming to campus for a formal dedication, and we also have students from two local Catholic schools who will be with us. Some of them will actually read from the diary where Anne mentions the tree, so they’ll be part of the ceremony, as well,” Paharik said.