Anne Frank’s legacy is one of the
greatest resources we have in connecting the past to the present. Her story is
one that has been told for generations through her father’s publishing of her
diary, and through that her voice is known as being the Jewish “voice” of our
generation. That is why through many
efforts we try to keep her legacy and story alive. The tree, a symbolic part of
the diary was what Anne looked at as she envisioned her future. A future of
living free, without the horrors and fears of hiding and a future of
experiencing nature once again.
In the
Sapling Project it is described how Anne’s beloved tree collapsed in 2010.
Because of the importance and symbolism of the tree the stewards at the Anne
Frank house creating saplings that have been now distributed to numerous
locations. In 2010 the saplings were cleared for planting and have now taken
new homes all over the world.
However, in
the New York Times article by Sally McGrane, it is mentioned that after the
tree collapsed, and before the saplings were distributed there were “nasty”
disputes over the remains. Members of the Support Anne Frank Tree foundation
are accusing the contractor they hired to build a metal brace hoping to extend
the sick tree’s life, with botching the job and essentially killing the tree.
The issue then was dividing up the pieces of the tree being that he now had the
tree in his hands. There were accusations with money made against him. But, at
the end of the day he explained, “it’s the Anne Frank Tree..This is our
responsibility to do a good job with this.” Though there were disputes, the
greatest issue is that individuals are trying to hold onto Anne’s legacy
through tangible items.
In Anne Frank’s barracks destroyed by fire by Jessica Elgot,
it is described that there was a “suspicious” fire that occurred at the
barracks at a Dutch work camp where Anne was held before being taken to
Auschwitz. Though it is stated that, “it is sad that this important historical
site is now lost.” That’s what it is—sad.
Her story is the most important thing we have. There doesn’t need to be blame,
fights, etc on what no longer exists. That is going against everything Anne wanted. She wanted
individuals to have respect for one another, treat each other the way they
wanted to be treated, and more than anything have tolerance. She had dreams for the future, and didn’t live
in the past. If Anne knew that there were “disputes” over where the remains of
the tree was going, or about the barracks destroyed by the fire that would be
exactly what she wouldn’t want her legacy to represent. The saplings indicate
future. They show hope for upcoming generations—and that is what the story of
Anne Frank should teach us.
I really liked reading your positive note at the end about the saplings and future and respect. :) However, I don't agree that the story of one Jewish girl is the most important thing we have. Perhaps my post was a little nihilistic, and I understand the want to preserve things to help future generations remember the past, but it upsets/angers me that the same things are going on today and that instead of focusing on how to stop them and to prevent them in the future, we waste so much effort and funds in focusing on this one genocide. I am not denying the significance of the horror of Hitler systematically killing ~6 million Jews, but let's not forget that Stalin starved over 10 million people (7 million of which were Ukrainians). Native populations of the Americas were practically wiped out. We don't know the numbers in North Korea, the continent of Africa and the Middle East was, and continues to be ravaged by genocides and other brutalities. Long story short, the preservation of a tree seems trivial to me - the money wasted on the brace that ended up failing anyway could have been put to better use as a donation from some Anne Frank Foundation/Organization/Etc. to improve living conditions or to help stop genocides and horrors elsewhere in the world. I think that would have a better impact than allowing people in the US to look at a tree that will probably be forgotten in a couple days... I highly doubt that a tree will make as big a change in the life of some middle-class American as the end of genocide could for a child faced with it.
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