{"id":4648,"date":"2014-06-13T00:21:25","date_gmt":"2014-06-13T07:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=4648"},"modified":"2014-06-13T11:05:10","modified_gmt":"2014-06-13T18:05:10","slug":"anne-frank-exhibit-at-the-vhec-till-july-31","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2014\/06\/13\/anne-frank-exhibit-at-the-vhec-till-july-31\/","title":{"rendered":"Anne Frank exhibit at VHEC till July 31"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Frank family on the Merwedeplein, May 1941. \u00a0(photo from AFF BASEL, CH \/ AFS AMSTERDAM, NL)<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Since her diary was first published in 1947, Anne Frank\u2019s story has reached many millions of readers. Her precocious wisdom, her courage and her unswerving faith in the goodness of humanity are humbling. Many young readers encounter Anne\u2019s work at school, as an introduction to their study of the Holocaust. Readers find a focus for their curiosity, grief and raw outrage in the fate of Anne and her family. But how do we ensure that this history truly is for \u201ctoday\u201d? And how do we help them make sense of a troubled world that has descended into horrifying chaos? These harsh lessons are currently being explored through Anne Frank \u2013 A History for Today, currently housed at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre.<\/p>\n

According to Nina Krieger, VHEC\u2019s executive director, this exhibit has seen \u201cunprecedented numbers\u201d of visitors \u2013 of all ages and ethnic backgrounds \u2013 at the centre\u2019s Sunday openings. There are visitors during the week, of course, as well as school groups who tour the exhibit under the guidance of the centre\u2019s docents. In addition to the training docents receive from VHEC education director Adara Goldberg, this exhibit has been guided by the exhibit\u2019s Amsterdam staff, who traveled to Vancouver to offer their support.<\/p>\n

On May 29, the JI accompanied Grade 6 and 7 students from King\u2019s School in Langley as they toured the exhibit with docent Lise Kirchner. Described by their teacher Peter Langbroek as \u201ccogent, clear and informative,\u201d Kirchner moved swiftly between the display boards. Pausing frequently to ask questions, she encouraged the students at every step, reinforcing and building on their answers. What are these children wearing? asked Kirchner, referring to an image of Hitler Youth in uniform. Why did the children have to join this organization? One student replied astutely, \u201cBecause they are the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n

The class group also included school parents, who were clearly invested in the day\u2019s lessons. The presence of parents is extremely important, Langbroek explained, because students often need to talk through their reactions later on, not just in class or during the ride home. \u201cIt helps to have a facilitator at the dinner table,\u201d he said. This was evident in the comments heard around the display cases, as mothers discussed their own questions. \u201cWould you put your own family at risk?\u201d one mom asked.<\/p>\n

In line with the policy of Holocaust education centres worldwide, VHEC recommends their exhibits for children of 10 and up. According to Krieger, \u201cGrade 5 is standard practice for Yad Vashem and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Centre; our community bases its offerings on best pedagogical practice and current research.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
The movable bookcase entrance to the secret annex. (photo from Photos Anne Frank House, 2010. Copyright Anne Frank House, photographer Cris Toala Olivares)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When asked about his reasons for bringing his students to the exhibition, Langbroek explained that this is his 27th year in the classroom, and his reasons for doing so were spiritual \u2013 his is a Christian school \u2013 and personal, as well as professional.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are so many life lessons taught in this history,\u201d he said. \u201cBy informing youth of this history and showing how bullying is a small-scale version of state-sponsored brutality, we can help train them in God\u2019s righteousness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raised by Dutch parents, Langbroek\u2019s mother saw Jews being arrested and taken away in trucks; two of his uncles took Jews into their homes. An avid reader of Chaim Potok\u2019s work, Langbroek has long been fascinated by \u201cthe pockmarked history of pogroms, exiles and forced conversions that took place in the Christian era.\u201d He said he struggles with the atrocities committed in the name of a savior who set himself \u201cthe highest moral standard.\u201d He added, \u201cTo me, it would only be natural for a Christian to risk his life to hide Jews.\u201d<\/p>\n

As well as the photographs and information on the boards, the exhibition room at the VHEC includes a 3-D model of the building and annex where the Franks were hidden. The students were clearly interested in the model and there was much crowding around, leaning in and craning of necks. Here, Kirchner honed in on the Franks\u2019 living conditions, supported by a few trusted friends with shared food rations and occasional treats, like magazines. How do you occupy yourself when you are stuck inside for two years? she asked the students to consider. What about during the Allied bombing raids? Everyone else was hiding underground, in shelters, while Anne was in an attic at the top of a tall building. She couldn\u2019t go down and risk being caught, noted Kirchner, but there were bombs landing all around them.<\/p>\n

The exhibition also includes five glass cases housing original artifacts, saved by local Holocaust survivors. These items are particularly valuable, said Krieger. \u201cA document is an eyewitness to the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a recent article for VHEC\u2019s newsletter, Zachor, Kirchner talks about these donations from local survivors. She says that they help students to develop a personal relationship with Holocaust history. For example, in one case, students are able to see the yellow star worn by Inge Manes before she was hidden in a convent and confirmed as a Catholic. In another case, there is a medal showing that her rescuer was honored by Yad Vashem for bravery. The personal connections formed during these visits are an education that lasts a lifetime. Krieger refers to this as an \u201congoing resonance.\u201d<\/p>\n

The King\u2019s School students clearly appreciated the artifacts. They were given copies of an identity document belonging to Regina Bulvik. Asked to interpret the information it carried, they learned that she was the sole survivor of the Holocaust in her family, and had traveled to Canada alone, with no papers. At that time, she was still a teenager and was required to have a Jewish sponsor family here before being allowed to immigrate. The students pored over this document, scrutinizing it carefully as they responded to Kirchner\u2019s questions.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Anne\u2019s room. After the Frank family took up residence in the secret annex, Anne pasted all sorts of magazine clippings and postcards on the walls of her room. (photo from Photos Anne Frank House, 2010. Copyright Anne Frank House, photographer Cris Toala Olivares)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On returning to school, the students\u2019 comments about the exhibit were telling. They spoke about justice, love and kindness. They showed gratitude for their freedoms and their desire to live well with God.<\/p>\n

Vanessa contemplated the inner life of the Franks, who \u201cprobably felt guilty because their Jewish friends and family were sent to concentration camps while they were hiding and getting help.\u201d<\/p>\n

Added Hannah, \u201cI would always wonder, Are my Jewish friends in a labor camp right now or even dead? And what would it be like if I was not a Jew and just a regular German?\u201d<\/p>\n

Caleb imagined being in the annex, being afraid to \u201cstep on a creaky floor board.\u201d Megan said she\u2019d miss \u201cfeeling the sunlight on my back.\u201d<\/p>\n

For these students, the exhibition is about prejudice and intolerance. It\u2019s about standing up for \u2013 rather than judging or bullying \u2013 those we perceive to be different than ourselves. It\u2019s about suffering through harsh lessons and still making dignified, compassionate choices.<\/p>\n

Anne Frank \u2013 A History for Today is at the Vancouver Holocaust Education Centre<\/a>, 50-950 West 41st Ave., until July 31, Mon-Thurs, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Fri, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.<\/em><\/p>\n

Shula Klinger <\/strong>is a freelance writer living in North Vancouver.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Frank family on the Merwedeplein, May 1941. \u00a0(photo from AFF BASEL, CH \/ AFS AMSTERDAM, NL) Since her diary was first published in 1947, Anne Frank\u2019s story has reached many millions of readers. Her precocious wisdom, her courage and her unswerving faith in the goodness of humanity are humbling. Many young readers encounter Anne\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4629,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1292,1290,53,1294,1291,1293,597],"class_list":["post-4648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local","tag-adara-goldberg","tag-anne-frank","tag-holocaust","tag-kings-school","tag-nina-krieger","tag-peter-langbroek","tag-vancouver-holocaust-education-centre"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4648"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4648\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}