Anne Frank: A History for Today

In July 1942 Anne Frank's family left their Amsterdam apartment and moved into a small room in the building where her father worked. The entrance to the room was hidden by a bookcase. They hoped to avoid being sent to one of the Nazi concentration camps. Thirteen year old Anne started a diary less than a month before. She made entries until she and her family were found by the Nazi's two years later.

Anne Frank was Hitler's most famous victim. More than 30 Million copies of her diary have been sold and it has been translated into 67 languages.

On Sunday, February 12th The Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center of Florida and the Judaic Studies Program at UCF invite the public to spend an afternoon with historian Dr. David Barnouw.

Dr. David Barnouw

Barnouw is the editor of The Diary of Anne Frank, The Critical Edition and has spent many years researching her legacy. In his book, The Anne Frank Phenomenon, he highlights the various ways in which Anne’s life and ultimate fate have been represented, interpreted, and exploited in the years after World War II. Taking a global view on the phenomenon of Anne Frank, Dr. Barnouw will explore the perceptions of Anne Frank and her diary as well as touch on recent controversies.

Dr. Barnouw's presentation will begin at 2:00 PM.

Before and after the lecture attendees can visit a specially designed traveling exhibit, Anne Frank: A History for Today. The exhibit tells the powerful story of young girl in hiding from the Nazis during WWII through photographs, letters, and of course Anne’s own diary. The Frank family’s story is juxtaposed against world events during the rise to power of Adolf Hitler, and shows how people were persecuted by political decisions and by the actions of individuals.

The exhibit engages viewers in Anne’s experiences before and during the War, with the goal of promoting an understanding of how racism, indifference, and apathy can destroy individuals, families, and entire communities. Throughout the bilingual exhibit (English/Spanish), Anne’s own candid writing provides a central voice to the exhibit narrative, bringing a poignant and truly beautiful perspective to the story.