ELUL 26 · DAY 26 of 29 · SEPTEMBER 6, 2026

I am a Jewish 12-year-old boy. My great grandparents fled from Germany and Hungary in World War II. If they didn’t have hope in the future, they wouldn’t have left. And I would never have been born.

Hope is one of the most valuable beliefs in the world. Hope comes with gratitude, excitement, faith in an unseen future, patience, and the belief that change for the better is possible. I’m worried about the uncertain future. People tell me it will be okay, but they don’t really know. Nobody knows or will know what the future holds — for me, you, or for the whole world; but as we stand here today, we can still hope. My personal hope is that I get better at coping with my anxiety and depression and invest more of my time in my family instead of using a screen to suppress what I feel.

Even with the conditions Anne Frank was in, she pushed forward and found gratitude through being connected to her family. This led her to hope, that let her to control her fears.

Anne Frank inspired millions, me included. She makes me want to find gratitude for what I have. My hardships aren’t anywhere near what Anne Frank went through, but if she could have hope in those circumstances, then I can have hope, too.

Hope is more powerful than fear. I hope Anne Frank’s story inspires the rest of the world like it inspired me, because right now, we need it.