Yesterday I visited Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam. It was quite moving particularly listening to what her father Otto had to say.
When asked why he fought to preserve the house where he and his family hid from the Nazis for four years, he said to educate the youth of the world. He made an impassioned plea for people not be driven to hatred and discrimination based on a person’s race or ethnicity.
Otto was the only member of his family to survive the horror of the German concentration camps. Anne died one month before WW2 ended, thinking that no-one from her family remained alive.
I couldn’t help but think that some of the current debate in Australia about “boat people” really should be put into perspective. Again, race is the big issue neatly hidden behind rhetoric that is misleading and mischievous.
When will we learn?
As for Amsterdam, it is a vibrant, gorgeous city. Love it!
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