The Diary of Anne Frank

(By: Chip Schultz)

There are two books read in America more than any other book - The Holy Bible and The Diary of Anne Frank.

As a parent, it is very rewarding watching your children gain and develope their own interests. With Taylor it was no exception. In Junior High School she was exposed to and soon developed a deep interest in the Holocaust. She would come home with countless stories and questions. One movie that really seemed to peak her interest was The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. She eventually read and loved The Diary of Anne Frank.

Last year, Taylor's English teacher brought in a real-life Holocaust survivor. He spoke to the kids, answered questions, and gave an evening presentation for the community at the high school. This past Christmas, I gave Taylor the book All But My Life, by Gerda Weissmann Klien - a Holocaust Survivor who fell inlove with and married the Jewish-American soldier who liberated her.

One of the most anticipated points of interest for Taylor to see in Washington D.C. is the Holocaust Museum. Needless to say, when Timberline High School announced that they would perform The Diary of Anne Frank on stage, I knew we wouldn't miss it. And so it was, last Thursday, Taylor and I attended and sat in the center of the fourth row. To see the Frank family portrayed on stage and hear the narration of a young Anne Frank writing in her diary was quite moving. But, in the final scene, as the Frank and van Dann families sat silently as the Nazi soldiers stormed into their upstairs attic hideout, in that one chaotic scene, I gained a whole new perspective of the fear they endured for two years.

Little did I know about the fate of both famillies; that Anne Frank, her sister, and their mother, the van Daan family, and Albert Dussell all died in Nazi consentration camps. Little did I know that Otto Frank, Anne's father and the only survivor of her story, published her diary and dedicated the rest of his life promoting it's message.

Little did I know, that as the father of a 15 year old daughter,
this story would leave such a mark on my mind.

Anne Frank was buried in an unmarked mass grave.
She was 15 years old.
.