Most, if not all, of the museums and libraries of New York City have for decades presented exhibits that reveal the monumental contributions made to society by Jewish people in fields including culture, medicine, philosophy and even sports over many centuries.

On view through the early months of 2026, two Manhattan exhibits built around the theme of what might be broadly termed “the home” are focused on individuals whose creativity has been spurred by what is closest to them.

The connection may be a little bit jarring—Anne Frank and Jonathan Adler—but this unlikely pair are linked, not only by their ethnicity, creativity, and a zest for living derived from their unique perception of the world, but by the main source of their inspiration: their everyday environments.

Uptown, Jonathan Adler—the New Jersey born ceramicist, retail magnet and decorator whose whimsical, over-the-top vision has radicalized interior design—is both the subject and curator of his own retrospective, selected from the permanent collection of the Museum of Art and Design (MAD). Featuring nearly 100 examples of works in all media, “The Mad MAD World of Jonathan Adler,” traces his 30-year career through a series of themed environments, which display his own creations in conjunction with works of modern design in the museum collection that have influenced him. Funny wall texts chronicle Adler’s tsuris-laden interior monologue, a literal diary which documents his journey from failure to self-deprecating success. Viewers can chortle over Adler’s statement, “I’m a grown man who plays in the mud all day,” but here, words and image combine to literally bring home an enhanced understanding of how he has evolved, how he works and what inspires him. It’s an exuberant, informative and upbeat experience.

On 16th Street, “Anne Frank: The Exhibition,” the world premiere of an installation created by Amsterdam’s Anne Frank House, can now be seen at the Center for Jewish History through Feb. 1, 2026. Here, visitors can go back in time to enter another world, via a replica of the Secret Annex, the living space hidden behind the offices of Otto Franks’s company, occupied by his family and others from 1942-1944, until they were discovered by the Nazis.

This interactive show includes hundreds of artifacts, documents, photos and videos which tell Anne’s story from her birth in 1929 to the post-war period, when her father, Otto, had her diary published. The plight of the hostages, held captive in tunnels by Hamas after the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks, enhances the impact of the exhibit, and underscores a message, particularly to those who were previously unaware of Anne’s history and fate.

Visitors initiate their journey by passing through a revolving wall, well known to diary readers, whose bookcase masked the entrance to the Secret Annex.

Translated into 70 languages, the diary opened the cramped space Anne treated as her home to the world. Despite her difficulty coming of age under such conditions, she was able to do so by maintaining a positive outlook. Transcendent, she came to terms with the injustice and cruelty that dictated her fate.

Here, as in the Adler show: an environment makes a statement. Anne’s bright bedroom, decorated with photos of the era’s glamourous film stars, reflects her longing to enjoy the romance and passion she was ultimately denied.

“Anne Frank: the Exhibition” was funded by multiple philanthropies, and is co-sponsored by several American organizations, including the Anne Frank Center at the University of South Carolina, which developed the educational component.

Consistently sold out, the exhibit elicits comments which have been repeated for seven decades, from the time that her diary was published: to know who she was, and what she made of her incandescent time on earth imparts an understanding of circumstances that cannot be humanly imagined.

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Cheryl Kempler is an art and music specialist who works in the B’nai B’rith International Curatorial Office and writes about history and Jewish culture for B’nai B’rith Magazine. To view some of her additional content, click here.