Anne Frank - should people have heard about her?

[MilkTrayLimeBarrel]

Chatting with DH about where to go for a city break this spring. I suggested Amsterdam - lots to see, including tulips, canals, bikes and Anne Frank's house. He asked who she was? AIBU to think that everybody should have heard of her and what she stood for/did? I couldn't believe that he honestly had no idea who she was!

Anne Frank is usually how they educate at school about the haulocaust era. I'm shocked he hadn't heard of her.

It astonishes me when people say they weren't taught about WW2 during school days in the 80s and 90. I took my A levels in 1992. I can remember doing stuff about WW2 - not on a deep level - at primary school in the early 1980s.

I didn't learn anything about WWII in history at school. That was on the GCSE and A level syllabus and I dropped history in Year 9. That said I do know about Anne Frank.

If your interests don't lie in history why would you find out about it? I have no interest in football, but I am sure lots of men and women could tell you who was captain in 1966.

We were taking to a haulocaust center in year 10. It was 2003. I also read Anne Frank's book at 15 because I was interested after my visit. I suppose I may have not known as much if I hadn't learned about it at school.

I bet she never would of imagined she would be discussed on mumsnet in 2020

My Mum bought me the diary for Christmas when I was about ten, we also touched upon it at school. I am often left surprised by how little some people know though.

I think it's important we understand and learn about Anne Frank, world war two and what happened to the Jewish people etc. It's an important reminder.

Although my partner points out to me all the time it's happening in the world right the fuck now (his exact words)

Perhaps he was confused by the context
Tulips, canals, bikes, the secret hiding place of a Jewish family hiding from Nazis who want to exterminate them.
Perhaps he was thinking of more fun things
I have felt a bit uncomfortable about 'holocaust tourism' for a while.
Not saying that no one should visit these places, they should, but as part of a holiday it seems a bit crass.
I once was on a trekking holiday in Rwanda, an had had a brilliant time. on the last day, because we had a couple of hours before the plane was due out, we were taken to the genocide memorial.
I felt like a gawper intruding on their private tragedy.

I'm not sure whether any of you will be coming back this thread probably not now. but I wanted to share this with you in case any of you are interested:
www.annefrankparallelstories.com/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=event&utm_campaign=Anne-Frank-CE-Event

I also never learned about her in school even though we seemed to learn about ww2 every year.

I'm staggered that some UK posters weren't taught about WW2 at school. I did history O level in 1975 and we covered the war

It does depend on the syllabus, my brother did WWII, I did lots of boring stuff about corn laws with a bit more interesting stuff about the French revolution and Daniel O'Connor.

Anne Frank herself was not significant during the war, the foundation her father set up and the fact the house is a museum have kept her name alive but she wasn't the only person in hiding, or even the only one keeping a diary.

but she wasn't the only person in hiding, or even the only one keeping a diary.

But she has come to represent the many. Her writing is astonishingly mature and eloquent for someone of any age, far less someone so young.

She never gave up hope in humanity despite the atrocities of the Nazis, saying something like people being essentially good at heart. She was an inspiration and continues to be.

DD 12 read her diary in yr5. An adult should certainly have heard of her. Lest we forget.

Dd is learning about her in yr6. I assume therefore her story is on the curriculum.

We’re gojng to her house this summer.

The attic is amazing. Her film star pictures are still in the wall.

The attic is amazing. Her film star pictures are still in the wall.
That room reduced me to tears. Reminded she was a normal teenager like my children

I know, and when you read the diary, she is such a typical teenager, crushes on boys, worries about looking pretty, moans about older sister....any young girl would identify with Anne.

Early 50s? So am I. He's ignorant.

The book is subtitled 'The Diary of a Young Girl'.

My DCs did a year long course in elementary school in the US (aged 13/14, 8th grade) on basically how we as individuals and as societies other or exclude certain groups or people. There were units on the Holocaust and other genocides, with a trip to the local excellent Holocaust Museum at the end of the course.

It was basically English class, with literature used as a means of approaching very important themes in a way that kids of that age could engage with. The Holocaust literature they read was Night, by Elie Wiesel, which dealt specifically with the experiences of a teenager caught in the net of the Nazis.

The Diary of Anne Frank was recommended as optional background reading because in many respects it is exactly as advertised - the diary of a young girl, with the terrible shadow looming over her life.

Noticed earlier that an Oscar winning film of Anne Frank is on BBC2 on Saturday at 10.45am. May be worth watching.

He should know. Weird that he doesn't. Time to educate your husband OP.

Redonion pretty crap time to show it though. Especially as we are close to Holocaust Memorial Day.

He's in his 50s he could have left school at 13 maybe. If he never learnt about her you can't blame him or call him ignorant, you can teach him now and he might love that. He probably knows a million things other people don't and thinks everyone else should know!

He's in his 50s he could have left school at 13 maybe

Is that a joke or a typo? You could leave school at 16 but not before. I'm in my 50s too.

My parents left school at 15 in the 1950s, my grandparents were the ones who could leave school at 13.

All of you saying op's dh is ignorant I assume you've all heard of the massacre at Oradour sur Glane.
642 French civilians killed by the Nazis in 1944 in one day.

The burned out village is a permanent memorial.

We did not get taught any history at high school. You had to opt in and take it in 7th form otherwise you got nothing. I’m not at all surprised people don’t know who she is