Anne Frank tree planted at Seton Hill University, “A beautiful symbol of growth and renewal.”

By Lauren Linder

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    GREENSBURG, Pennsylvania (KDKA) — Seton Hill University in Greensburg received a special tree Wednesday, going back decades, thousands of miles away in Europe. It’s now planted on campus as a symbol of strength, with branches tied to a young Jewish teenager, killed 80 years ago during the Holocaust.

At 93 years old, Sister Gemma Del Duca watched her dream come true after the culmination of years of work as the founder of Seton Hill University’s National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education.

“It’s a great thrill,” Del Duca said.

What made this tree different from any other tree is its history. It’s a descendant of the beloved horse chestnut tree that towered behind the Secret Annex in Amsterdam, where Anne Frank and her family hid during the Holocaust.

Dr. Lauren Bairnsfather is the CEO of the Anne Frank Center USA, an organization that works to empower future generations by honoring Frank’s legacy.

“By moving the curtain aside in the attic of the hiding place, [Frank] was able to see the tree. She wrote about it three times in her diary, and she watched the changing seasons with the flowering of the tree and when the leaves came back on the tree,” Bairnsfather said.

In 2009, the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam preserved the tree by taking its seeds and germinating them, so they could donate saplings to organizations dedicated in Frank’s memory. Anne Frank Center USA remains the only one that has continued to grow saplings, and with the tree in Greensburg, they’ve now planted 21 across the country for future generations.

“It’s just a beautiful symbol of growth and renewal, and the resilience of Anne Frank and her story,” Bairnsfather said.

It provides a great opportunity for the current director of the center at Seton Hill, Dr. James Paharic, to continue to teach youth about the atrocities that killed six million Jews, including Frank. She died of typhus at the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen at age 15.

“It’s a way to help us in our mission, to help young people learn about the Holocaust and the dangers of antisemitism and extremism,” Paharic said.

Also, the memorial comes at a time when those dangers are rising at a rapid pace.

“I never dreamed when we first began our work that we would, that things would move in the direction that they have in this particular time of history,” Del Duca said.

However, now they’ve planted seeds in Greensburg to help ensure we never forget.

“I really feel it’s a great sign of hope, and it will give courage and encouragement,” Del Duca said.

The official dedication ceremony will take place on September 25.

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