By KIMBER KAY
The poignant memoirs and haunting photos of Anne Frank will be exhibited on the third floor of the Utah County Courthouse Friday through March 7.
The exhibit, “Anne Frank in the World,” is a collection of photographs from Dutch and German archives, and previously unpublished photos from the Frank family collection. Photos, books and manuscripts owned by the Frank family will also be presented.
Warren and Mary Elen Shenk of Springville have been working to bring the exhibit to Utah County because they believe Anne’s fate is being suffered by others throughout the world today. Shenk cites examples such as racial tensions in Rwanda, Bosnia and the United States as evidence that the hatred that inspired the Holocaust fifty years ago is not dead.
“The exhibit doesn’t whitewash anything,” said David Gardner, Utah County Commission chairman. “It talks about the atrocities of war and what horrors a 14-year-old girl had to go through (before) she ended up dying.”
Also included are over 600 photographs that are silk-screened onto 79 transparent panels nine feet tall.
Books and manuscripts owned by Anne and her family will be on display. There will also be screenings of the award-winning documentary “Dear Kitty.”
The event is sponsored by the Righteous Persons Foundation, The David O. McKay School of Education and others.
Exhibit hours will be 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Saturday. There is no charge for admission. Reservations are not required, but are recommended for large groups that want to attend together.
In addition to the exhibit, a number of associated events are planned during the Anne Frank event by Holocaust survivors.
Gerda Weissmann Klein, a Holocaust survivor, will give a lecture on not only the horror of her experiences, but also the hope and courage that made her survival so inspirational. Klein has had a successful career as an author, journalist, historian and lecturer. Her autobiography, “All My Life,” was the source for HBO’s Academy Award winning documentary, “One Survivor Remembers.”
Klein will be joined by her husband Kurt. Kurt is a German immigrant to the United States who served under Gen. Patton, met up with Schindler’s Jews and helped free a group of women slave-laborers from a death march that included his future wife. The Kleins will lecture on Friday at 7 p.m. in room 2254 HCEB.
A new approach has been taken to tell Anne Frank’s story. Living Voices, a nonprofit education organization in Seattle, takes a look at the Holocaust from the eyes of Anne’s best friend, Sarah. The performance, “Through the Eyes of A Friend,” combines live theater with historical video to reach the youth of today. Living Voices will perform Saturday at 7 p.m. in the courthouse ballroom.
The October 1943 revolt in Sobibor was the only successful large escape from a Nazi extermination camp. Thomas Toivi Blatt helped organize and implement killing the Nazi staff and helping over 300 prisoners to escape. Blatt’s story was retold in the award-winning CBS film, “Escape From Sobibor,” in 1987. Blatt will lecture at 7 p.m. on Feb. 22, in room 2254 HCEB.
For group reservations and information contact the Utah Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau, 1-800-222-UTAH, or 370-8394 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
