"In Spite of Everything": How the Popular Focus on Anne Frank Obscures Holocaust Remembrance and Foments Distortions

Join THGAAC Director of Education Dr. J.E. Wolfson as he presents at Congregation Agudas Achim as part of Shalom Austin's YOMS Educational Electives.

Anne Frank’s diary is one of the most widely taught, read, and studied works of literature, and the diarist has been deemed the most famous child of the twentieth century. In many American classrooms, the diary and its adaptations to stage and cinema comprise the introductory curriculum for learning about the Holocaust. Why is this so? And is it a good thing that so many people form their first and lasting impressions of the Holocaust based on these works? This session will look at the limitations of the diary in Holocaust instruction; the evolution of how Frank’s story has been told, retold, and promoted by people other than herself; and what we should make of how audiences have received the various versions. As we shall see, while there is to be no denying Frank’s literary talents, other more dangerously insidious and even antisemitic factors have largely contributed to popularizing a mystique around Frank, which her lived experiences and own words have had only a minimal role in shaping.

Register here. This event is taking place in-person in the Education Building of Congregation Agudas Achim.