The appropriation of Anne Frank
I noticed this recent post by William Jacobson at Legal Insurrection entitled, “I warned you about the Anne Frank Center (US).” The subject is a group that appropriates Anne Frank’s name for political purposes:
It’s unlikely that until Trump’s election you heard of an entity calling itself the “Anne Frank Center (US).” That’s because for most of its history, AFCUS has quietly done work educating people about Anne Frank.
Then in the spring of 2016 everything changed. AFCUS changed its focus, hired a political activist named Steven Goldstein, and began to reposition itself as a social justice organization.
AFCUS has, since Trump’s election, issued a series of inflammatory statements that get gobbled up by the media looking to bash Trump.
This doesn’t surprise me in the least, because I had noticed a somewhat-related phenomenon recently; they’re not the only ones. Take a look at this article from the Times of Israel that describes the phenomenon I’m talking about:
After decades where she was largely thought of as the quintessential Jewish victim of the Holocaust, “in the past 20 years Anne Frank has come to symbolize the victim of all of the world’s evils,” said David Barnouw, author of the 2012 book “The Anne Frank Phenomenon.” Barnouw is a former researcher at the Dutch Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
The debate on whether Frank’s story should be viewed and taught as a particular case of the genocide against the Jews or more generally as a story of a child victim of war is as old as the diary itself…
The creeping decontextualization of the Anne Frank story is the main theme of a 2014 Dutch documentary featuring interviews with dozens of the roughly 1 million people who each year stand in line for hours to enter the Anne Frank House ”” the Amsterdam museum that was set up at her family’s former hiding place.
In the film, titled “In Line for Anne,” an activist for African-American rights from Texas, Omowale Luthuli-Allen, compares Anne’s experience to that of blacks living under segregation.
“We’ve lived like that,” he says. “In a way we have lived Anne Frank’s life.”
Augustine Sosa, a gay man from Paraguay, says his “life is very similar to that of Anne Frank.”
The article goes on to describe similar reactions from other people, in which equivalences are made that are false equivalences, although by well-meaning people. But then there’s this sort of thing:
A more controversial case is the reproduction in Amsterdam of images of Anne Frank wearing a kaffiyeh, the checkered shawl favored by pro-Palestinian activists. Postcards and T-shirts bearing the image, which was first circulated on social networks and adopted by activists seeking a boycott on Israel, were sold for years despite protests by Dutch Jews who said it suggested an equivalence between Israel and Nazi Germany.
The Anne Frank House in Amsterdam also objected to the image because it is “deeply hurtful, even in 2016,” the institution’s director, Ronald Leopold, told JTA last year at a symposium about the iconization of Anne Frank. The conference, featuring prominent scholars, was an attempt to understand what Anne Frank will mean to future generations.
In 2006, the Arab European League, a radical Belgium-based Muslim rights group, posted on its website a caricature of Anne Frank in bed with Adolf Hitler. A Dutch appeals court in 2010 fined the organization for hate speech and ordered the offensive caricature removed, but it had spread on social media, where it circulates today.
This doesn’t surprise me in the least. Decades ago, the Orwellian anti-Israel anti-Semitic Palestinian propaganda machine discovered the enormous advantages of comparing Israel to the Nazis and the Palestinians to the Jews during World War II, despite the fact that (among other things) the Palestinian Grand Mufti was an ally of Hitler:
In 1937, evading an arrest warrant, he fled Palestine and took refuge successively in the French Mandate of Lebanon and the Kingdom of Iraq, until he established himself in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. During World War II he collaborated with both Italy and Germany by making propagandistic radio broadcasts and by helping the Nazis recruit Bosnian Muslims for the Waffen-SS (on the ground that they shared four principles: family, order, the leader and faith). Also, as he told the recruits, Germany had not colonized any Arab country while Russia and England had.[15] On meeting Adolf Hitler he requested backing for Arab independence and support in opposing the establishment in Palestine of a Jewish national home. At the war’s end he came under French protection, and then sought refuge in Cairo to avoid prosecution for war crimes.
In the lead-up to the 1948 Palestine war, Husseini opposed both the 1947 UN Partition Plan and King Abdullah’s designs to annex the Arab part of British Mandatory Palestine to Jordan…
These days, though, when Israel isn’t being compared to apartheid-era South Africa, it’s being compared to Nazi Germany.
Has this sort of thing percolated down to the public in this country? You bet it has. Maybe not the full “Israel is the Nazi, and the Arab world are the Jews during WWII” except on the far left. But a slightly-weakened version seems to be mainstream among many liberals.
I base that on my recent observation of a group of several hundred people who were part of a discussion in which the topic of Anne Frank and her diary came up. Several speakers indicated that the diary was now “more topical than ever,” and each one explicitly mentioned that it was because of “what was happening to the Arabs and Muslims” at the hands of Trump and anyone who had any problem with letting unlimited numbers into this country or Europe.
That seemed to be the consensus opinion in the audience, as far as I could tell. And it’s the sort of thing I’ve heard over and over again. The fact that Muslims have many Muslim countries the world over to which they can emigrate, and have no particularly pressing need to come here, is ignored. The fact that there is no aggressive power (such as Nazi Germany in WWII) that is hunting down Muslims and aiming to kill them is ignored. The fact that Muslims live peacefully in Israel is ignored. The fact that it is the Muslim world that is driving some of the most vicious anti-Semitism today is ignored.
It’s pretty cynical but this is all about a brand. ‘Anne Frank’ is a brand and it’s one that can be used as a hammer to pound one’s enemies. It’s much easier to appropriate an existing brand then to go through all the time and expense of building a brand.
“[F]or most of its history, AFCUS (Anne Frank Center (US)) has quietly done work educating people about Anne Frank. Then in the spring of 2016 everything changed. AFCUS changed its focus, hired a political activist named Steven Goldstein, and began to reposition itself as a social justice organization.”
G#dd#mn sumb!tches. They just can’t help themselves. Nothing, *nothing*, gets untouched by their d#mn obsessions.
ah but Griffen, they dont have to, they HAVE to work hard to suppress the others, and most jewish people follow along, even here… as i ahve tried and tried and tried to no avail…
and they bury all the others so nothing challenges her throne, to which others care less about her!!!
I brought them up, but ONLY anne is allowed in the pantheon of victims and suffering.
Dear God, I Wanted to Live Hardcover — January 1, 1978
by Ruta Upite (Author), Rita Liepa (Translator)
https://www.amazon.com/Dear-God-I-Wanted-Live/dp/B0006DXUJ4
given i konw about them, and that stuff, and others dont get time, i dont really have much to care about people that dont care about others and want it all for themselves… [and have defenders of that too that also dont care about the others enough to even know anything about them]
from
The Baltic States Under Stalinist Rule
edited by Olaf Mertelsmann
there can be only one, and it cant be christian as the jews own the holocaust from 1849 engels calling for holocaust to get rid of them to hitler fulfilling magyar struggle of engels and marx jewish question… we forget the other 6 million, we forget the others that suffered very much the same
but at the hands of the loved utopian soviets not the nazis
and since they and everyone loves soviets and hates nazis
others dont get to be known
and if you try, you get some lame excuse
not even a half attempt to know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ah but Griffen, they dont have to, they HAVE to work hard to suppress the others, and most jewish people follow along, even here… as i ahve tried and tried and tried to no avail…
s
for some reason my browser keeps populating with griffens name and email and not posting..
for some reason my browser keeps populating with griffens name and email and not posting..
one last try before i hit send on the email…
ah but Griffen, they don’t have to, they HAVE to work hard to suppress the others, and most Jewish people follow along, even here… as i have tried and tried and tried to no avail to bring up the others that are known in other countries but not here.
And they bury all the others so nothing challenges her throne, to which others care less about her!!!
I brought them up, but ONLY Anne is allowed in the pantheon of victims and suffering.
Dear God, I Wanted to Live Hardcover — January 1, 1978
by Ruta Upite (Author), Rita Liepa (Translator)
https://www.amazon.com/Dear-God-I-Wanted-Live/dp/B0006DXUJ4
from The Baltic States Under Stalinist Rule
edited by Olaf Mertelsmann
there can be only one, and it cant be christian as the jews own the holocaust from 1849 engels calling for holocaust to get rid of them to hitler fulfilling magyar struggle of engels and marx jewish question… we forget the other 6 million, we forget the others that suffered very much the same
but at the hands of the loved utopian soviets not the Nazis
and since they and everyone loves soviets and hates Nazis
others dont get to be known — and the soviet keep getting a pass on their history
makes it easier for the young here to want that, doesn’t it?
and if you try, you get some lame excuse
not even a half attempt to know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At least we know that hell will be filled with people richly deserving of that fate.
Isaiah 5:20: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”
The fact that it is the Muslim world that is driving some of the most vicious anti-Semitism today is ignored.
It’s worse than that, Neo. Arguably the most vicious violence perpetrated against Muslims, by far, is from other Muslims. (And yet no attention is paid to that; instead we hear endlessly about Israel.)
Israeli prisons aren’t nice places to be. Prisons aren’t intended to be country clubs. But Israeli prisons are comfy indeed, compared to the prisons of some of Israel’s neighbors. And Israel doesn’t throw gay people off rooftops for the crime of being gay, as Palestinian authorities have been known to do; instead, Israel hosts gay pride parades.
I have heard the demands and protestations, for decades, of those who claim to support Palestinian civil rights and vilify Israel. I swear, I don’t know how they can withstand the cognitive dissonance.
Neo:
“the Palestinian Grand Mufti was an ally of Hitler:”
This is overstated statement, do you think really Hitler in need to a man like Grand Mufti? and what benefits able to offer a dictator like Hitler?
Keep minded In 1937, Grand Mufti evading an arrest warrant, he fled Palestine and took refuge in different places.
What Hitler and the Grand Mufti Really Said
David Kaiser, Oct 23, 2015
Also it worth to go back and read an OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT OF MEETING
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Part of the glitch I’ve been trying to fix involves a delay in seeing your comment display. So there’s no need to double-post. The comment will show after a lag.
Working on a fix.
Has this sort of thing percolated down to the public in this country? You bet it has. Maybe not the full “Israel is the Nazi, and the Arab world are the Jews during WWII” except on the far left. But a slightly-weakened version seems to be mainstream among many liberals.
I wonder if Steven Spielberg ever has sleepless nights over his decision to make the movie Munich. He should. Offhand I can’t think of another movie that did so much to push the idea of moral equivalency and to discredit the very existence of Israel. If you’ve not seen it, or have but maybe can’t remember much about it, Charles Krauthammer wrote a great piece on it, which you can read here.
The fact that it is the Muslim world that is driving some of the most vicious anti-Semitism today is ignored.
let take a look:
Pretty much my mother’s side of the family, and her entire village, were wiped out in Poland.
I’ve been doing a family tree, there are more records available. It’s depressing, everyone is dead, dead, dead by 1942. But, it looks like maybe 6 or 7 survived!
I don’t get why people think only Jews were murdered by the Nazis, or that the Nazis were the only ones who murdered anyone, the information is commonly available. It’s a huge number.
So of course, the story of Anne Frank is universalized, but Jews are criticized for hogging the Holocaust victim limelight.
frs:
The exception does not make the rule. duh.
The Grand Mufti was wanted as a war criminal after WWII for the massacres of Christians and Jews carried out in the Balkans by the Bosnian Brigade. The Swiss had a list of thirty men they would not allow into their country. Hitler was number one. The Mufti was also on the list. He was a really vile man.
The Other Chuck:
That was me, OM, commenting to frs:
Hope this glitch is sorted out soon. “What we have here is a failure to communicate…” 🙂
frs:
Your point?
That there is a flawed Jew in the world? And that that makes up for the millions of Arabs (and others) who feed on officially taught hatred, and applaud murder?
the point which I made its about the usefulness of on man (with criminal records or not) as dictator like Hitler who have all the power at a time did he really need a man like Grand Mufti who looking for place to hid rather tank have power or real authority benefits Hitler.
As I said repetitive statement and talk about Grand Mufti its overstated and you need some couscous when discussing this matter and making your position, not in defend a any one here.
The point I made it’s about the usefulness of one man (with/without criminal records) for dictator like Hitler at a time have all the power, was he really in need for a man like Grand Mufti, who was looking for refuge or place to hide who had no power or real authority that will benefits Hitler.
Let give example in today crises, dose US or President Trump in need of support, say a man like Haider al-Abadi, PM of Iraq support him with N Korai? What he will give US or present Trump?
As I said repetitive statement and talk about Grand Mufti its overstated and you need some couscous when discussing this matter and making your position, not in defend a anyone here.
neo-neocon Says
Yes but you knew well, you wrote many times about you follow Jews, also the history documented “who feed on officially taught hatred, and applaud murder? from Roman time to Europe Middle ages, the most recent modern western history? isn’t?
So there is exception.
frs:
You seem to be struggling somewhat with English, but it makes it difficult to understand what you are trying to say.
Also, I don’t think you meant “couscous.” Perhaps that was autocorrect?
(Yes, the thing with seeing someone else’s email…)
(Weird.)
One thing I can agree with, from some of the comments above, is the necessity of couscous in pondering this matter. Who doesn’t like couscous?
Otherwise,… frs, my condolences. I’m sorry for your cognitive disability…. which I maybe could fix? as I’m personally all powerful since Roman times!
Until an editor from the New York Times tells us what the truth about Anne Frank actually is how can we know what we are supposed to believe?
frs can now lecture us on how it was the Arabs that agreed to partition in 1948 and those awful couscous eating Jews that were the aggressors. After all he read that in the New York Times too.
frs — what is your point? Yes, the Grand Mufti wasn’t much of an ally of Hitler, but neither were Horthy, Antonescu, and Pavelic. (On balance, neither was Mussolini, but who’s counting?) So what? It wasn’t for lack of trying!
Comments not be posted — is that part of the blog problem?
Richard Saunders:
Yes, there can be a slight delay between the time a person writes a comment and the time anyone can see it displayed. I can see the comments as soon as they are posted, if I’m logged in as the blogger. Some people seem to see them right away, as well. But a lot of people report that they don’t see them for between a few minutes and an hour or so.
The same is true of posts. There is a slight delay between the time I publish a post and the time it is displayed.
A bit of progress has been made, though. I’ve spoken to one of the many companies that specialize in troubleshooting WordPress problems, and they’re on the case. It may be a quick fix (I’m hoping so), or it may take a day or two.
In the meantime, keep checking your autofills, and realize that there can be a time lag before a post or a comment displays.
My head hurts. Just read an article by a non white crafter, about the urgency of “decolonizing craft” and the need to remove the “colonial gaze” and “white privilege” from the “arts,” which is itself a “western” idea.
But, what of the appropriation of Anne Frank? Isn’t universalizing her story, removing her from the context of the Jewish experience, as aggressive an erasure as any act of “western colonization?”
I’ve done some digging myself and noticed, starting with Steven Goldstein of the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect, that the social justice warriors are appropriating “Dayenu” into their rhetoric.
I once attended a Passover Seder led by a liberal Jewish friend. She explained how it worked. It seemed kind of long, but I was touched. In particular I remember the Dayenu song.
Dayenu, I was told, means, “It would have been enough…” and it occurs in the context of remembering all the specific gifts God gave the Jews, as in “It would have been enough if He had brought us out of Egypt.” “It would have been enough if He had split the Red Sea for us.” And so on.
So Dayenu is an expression of deep gratitude to God. If there is one thing which melts me, it is gratitude.
But now SJW Jews are turning it into something else. Steven Goldstein used Dayenu as “Enough! Shut up!” to Sean Spicer for his holocast gaffes at a recent press conference.
The Anne Frank Center MR also issued a “Lo Dayenu” recitation as in “It is not enough.”
God has brought us out of slavery but has not freed the other slaves of the world. So though we are thankful, lo dayenu. It is not enough.
God allowed our ancestors who were not slaves to immigrate to United States, often as refugees. But now our nation seeks to deprive refugees and immigrants a chance at life and freedom. So though we are thankful, lo dayenu. It is not enough….
Etc.
I notice other progressive Jews are doing some version of this. I find it sad to go from gratitude to “shut up” or “it’s never enough until progressive utopia is achieved.”
On a happier note, here’s a wacky version of the Dayenu song by the Maccabeats.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZgDNPGZ9Sg
Ester:
Have they ever made any sense? It seems to me that they have decided to chuck the whole concept of rational thought what ever they want today is “right.”
Testing…
One hint about the ongoing blog glitch:
I’ve discovered that if you force a cache refresh by pressing CTL + F5, you can usually make the blog display the comments and the posts properly. Let me know if you see the most recent posts when you do that.
All you computer experts or semi-experts out there, do you have any advice for fixing things, based on this new information? I’m still getting professionals to help, but they’re taking longer than I’d like.
Good grief. I won’t admit how many more times I’ve watched that Maccabeats video today.
It is a certain kind of perfection. I can’t imagine anyone else doing a better job. (Love the kid feeding the dog some matzoh under the table early on.)
Then there’s the brilliant bit at the end.
In the seder a cup of wine is left out for Elijah. Some folks open the door to check for Elijah. The joke in the video is Elijah shows!
If anyone cares, I’m in no way Jewish. I would have to go back to Africa to establish a relationship with Jewish DNA.
But I love the Dayenu outlook. When I’m more of the person I would like to be, that’s where I am.
Humans can rationalize and ignore anything. That’s what they do.