Galloway, N.J. — A sapling descended from the tree visible from the window of the Secret Annex of Anne Frank’s hiding place in Amsterdam will be planted on May 20 at Stockton University in remembrance of the former executive director of the Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center.

Gail Hirsch Rosenthal was the director of the Holocaust Center from 1991 until her death in October 2023. The sapling will honor her dedication to Holocaust education and remembrance. Support for the donation was made possible by Katherine M. and Leo S. Ullman.

The planting is open to the public and will take place at 11 a.m. at the Lakeside Lane Courtyard between the A and C Wings on the Galloway campus. Please RSVP at 609-652-4699 or hrc@stockton.edu.

The white horse chestnut tree sapling was donated by Anne Frank Center USA, an organization dedicated to providing educational programs honoring the legacy of Anne Frank. The center’s Sapling Project began in 2009 with the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam’s efforts to preserve the original chestnut tree by gathering and germinating chestnuts and donating the sapling to organizations dedicated to Frank’s memory. The original, diseased tree was toppled in a windstorm in 2010 in Amsterdam.

Over the last 15 years, Anne Frank Center USA has awarded saplings to sites across the United States, including the U.S. Capitol, the United Nations Headquarters and others.