New YouTube series shows Anne Frank's distant cousin visiting her aunts

On Thursday, the Anne Frank House, working with Every Media, launched a new eight-part series on YouTube called Anne Frank was here. The series features Leyb Elias, a distant cousin of the famous Jewish girl, visiting the places Anne Frank once went and talking to people along the way.

“Dear Anne, it’s me, Leyb. My grandfather, Buddy, was your favorite cousin. That makes you my distant cousin. You have always been part of my life. And I feel the responsibility to keep your story alive and to make a difference today,” Leyb opens the show.

The show takes Leyb to Anne Frank’s former home in Amsterdam, a synagogue, the former transit camp Westerbork, and the family home in Basel, among other places. During the journey, Leyb has several remarkable encounters. Among others, she speaks with a refugee writer, Jewish young people, Auschwitz survivors, and politicians dedicated to promoting acceptance and inclusion.

Leyb says that, due to the phenomenon that Anne Frank has become, she has a voice. And it gives her the responsibility to act. “You believed that we can all make a difference. And you were right when you wrote the most meaningful thought: ‘How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world slowly,’” Leyb said.