Catching Up

In February, I had the privilege of reading The Diary of Anne Frank with 9 young teens. The document is such a fragile and hopeful piece of writing. A rather quiet eye in the hurricane of WWII, it deals with more simple, day-to-day matters than one would think, given the fact that Anne and her family were hiding from the Nazis with four other people in a closed-off part of a warehouse in Amsterdam. There are Anne's fights with her mother and the others, her talks with her father, her constant attention to shaping her own character, her diligent studies, and her blossoming feelings for Peter (the teenaged boy in hiding with them), in addition to her updates on the war right outside their walls. My students had such surprised and delighted reactions to Anne's wit and to finding out that a girl who lived in these terrifying circumstances almost 70 years ago was so much like themselves. It was heart-breaking to see them understand that she was not saved, that only her father lived to share her story with the rest of the world.

I went on to read the book Anne Frank Remembered by the woman largely responsible for keeping the 8 people hidden, fed, and sane during those 25 months. Miep Gies was a Dutch Christian who worked for Mr. Frank and took on the enormous responsibility and risk without question. It was she who daily brought in whatever food she could, put on a brave and bright face as she visited them every workday at noon, and found little trinkets, treats, and surprises to brighten their long, dreary hours even when the most basic of supplies were hard to come by. Miep's story is not light-hearted. She was aware every minute of the danger that the Franks and the others were in. She was aware every minute of her need to remain well and unnoticed so that she could continue to sustain them for as long as it took. I read some of Anne's diary with a smile on my face. I read much of Miep's narrative with my heart in my throat. She died two years ago in January at the age of 100.

Lastly, I was stopped short when I saw the book titled What We Talk about When We Talk about Anne Frank and had to get it from my library. It is a book of new stories by Nathan Englander. The first and title story does deal with with two middle-aged Jewish couples today and the fallout of the Holocaust. In a visit between two women, who were friends years ago in school, and their husbands, they discuss their different paths, one Hasidic, the other Reform, and the question of What Would You Have Done? brings about a shocking realization. I was glad that I read the other stories in the collection, too, but the title piece is the strongest and most memorable.