Anne Frank exhibit prompts reflection on hidden bias

By Christine Bordelon
Clarion Herald
Encouraging dialogue and opening eyes to biases, prejudices, stereotypes and hate – not just anti-Semitism – is the essence of the new exhibit, “Anne Frank: A History for Today,” on display at the Whitney Presentation Room at Loyola University New Orleans through April.

Fifteen teens from Holy Name of Jesus School recently spent 45 minutes viewing the 34-panel exhibit while being trained to be docents by Loyola students.

These teens, selected after answering essay questions concerning their interest in the exhibit, will guide their fellow fourth- through seventh-grade classmates through it, said Kirsch Wilberg, Holy Name of Jesus School principal.


“This specific exhibit teaches them a lot more about being understanding of others and the differences others have, not just being a Jew,” Wilberg said. “Maybe there were other people who were in the camps who may have been different or had infirmities. We need to take a step back to say we are all human beings on the inside and give everybody a chance before judging them.”

Ties to current-day racism
The exhibit itself is a powerful tool to teach the history of the Holocaust through the lens of a German-Jewish child, but its function is to show the existence of prejudice and racism today and to challenge viewers to think about “concepts such as tolerance, mutual respect, human rights and democracy,” said literature from the Anne Frank House.

Loyola docents, who were students taking Dr. Naomi Yavneh-Klos’ popular “In Quarantine with Anne Frank” class, invited Holy Name teens to select an exhibit panel that most resonated with them – a red thread – and asked them to explain why and connect how Anne Frank’s life impacts their lives today.

Docent trainees were shown photos and posed questions such as, “Who would you sit next to on a streetcar?” to emphasize the danger of making assumptions, Yavney-Klos said.

“We’re trying to teach them how to tell this story, and what in this story is personal to you?” said Yavneh-Klos, Anne Frank exhibit coordinator and Loyola Languages and Cultures chair. “Each child who gives tours will tell the story in their own way and raise some questions after discussing a panel.”


Personal connection
Yavneh-Klos, who is Jewish, said her four Jewish grandparents were immigrants who came to the United States by 1920, before the Holocaust. When she read “Anne Frank’s Diary,” as a child, she found it scary, thinking it “could have been me.” Now, active in her synagogue and continually witnessing anti-Semitic violence worldwide, she still feels she is not immune to it.

Her connection to the Anne Frank House began in 2011, when she became director of Loyola University New Orleans’ honors program and worked with honors college faculty in the Netherlands, where the Anne Frank House is located. While in the Netherlands attending a 2016 summer program about lessons from the Holocaust for today, she visited the house for the first time and recognized the relevance of Frank’s experience in modern times.

“It’s important for students to realize that the same kind of rhetoric for certain kinds of immigrants or refugees today was used then,” she said.

In spring 2020, as a Fulbright scholar working with Windesheim Honors College, Yavneh-Klos returned to the Netherlands to explore social justice pedagogy and how compassion is taught.

During COVID, she launched the online course, “In Quarantine with Anne Frank,” at Loyola to help students examine ethnic and racial bias and become servant leaders “with open minds and hearts willing to stand up for others.”

This past February, Anne Frank House representatives taught the Loyola student docents to be guides and to teach others to relay Anne’s story in their own words and encourage discussions while providing historical facts.

“We have an obligation to stand up to hatred wherever we see it, and that’s what my teaching in general, and this program in particular, are about,” Yavneh-Klos said. “We have to start by addressing bias and microaggressions before they escalate.” 

Collaboration continues
Holy Name’s participation in the exhibit continues the recent partnership forged with Loyola University New Orleans to share resources and learn from the other.

The local exhibit, made possible by a Jesuits of New Orleans Mission Integration grant, is open to all school groups, primarily ages 11-18, Yavneh-Klos said. It can be dismantled and brought to any local school by request. It will reside at Loyola for approximately two years.

For details, email [email protected]. It can also be viewed at annefrank.org.

“The Holocaust may seem long ago and far away, but its lessons – regarding anti-Semitism and racism, regarding ‘othering,’ regarding hatred, regarding standing up – reverberate today,” Yavneh-Klos said.

“We must commit to a community and a world free from oppression and hatred. … We want students to recognize the common humanity – the innate human dignity – or, as my faith puts it, the image and likeness of God – in each individual, whether they look like you or not, and whether or not you like them. We want students to be upstanders against hatred, racism and inequity, and to commit to striving to make the world a better place. As Anne wrote, ‘No one need wait a single moment to start to change the world.’”