In Germany, a kindergarten named after Holocaust victim Anne Frank is making plans to replace her name as part of a new diversity initiative, even as considerations are being developed about emerging anti-Semitic crimes in Germany.
The centre is located in the village of Tangerhütte and, for a century now, it has been named after the Jewish woman, and has been renamed the “Kindergarten of the Explorers of the World”.
Frank has become one of the most well-known victims of the Holocaust, as his diary detailing the two years his family hid from the Nazis was published in 1947, two years after his death at the age of 16.
The decision to rename the center largely influenced the fact that some immigrant families were unaware of Frank’s family history.
As the Telegraph reported on Monday, Linda Schichor, director of the center, told a local newspaper that they were looking for a call that had no “political context. “Schichor said some immigrant parents struggled to know who Frank was for their young children, raising them. That’s like some other explanation of why the change.
According to the Anne Frank House, the Jewish woman and her family went into hiding in 1942 after Anne’s sister, Margot Frank, won a call to report to a hard labor camp. Anne’s father, Otto Frank, took care of the family. He hid in an annex of his business in Holland, where his family remained until their discovery in 1944.
Anne Frank later died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, but the diary she wrote while in hiding has been translated into some 70 languages and read by others around the world.
A local council member provided more context for the change, explaining that the rebranding is part of the nursery’s efforts to put more emphasis on its children’s “self-determination and diversity,” according to The Telegraph.
The update comes amid a rise in anti-Semitic crimes in Germany following the Hamas terror organization’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7. The terrorist organization murdered another 1,400 people, injured more than 5,000 and took more than 240 people hostage.
Last month, Israel announced a ground invasion of Gaza to eliminate Hamas and secure the release of the hostages. The Hamas-led health government in Gaza says at least another 10,000 people have been killed since Israeli retaliatory airstrikes began. These figures do not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Thomas Haldenwang, head of Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, told the German newspaper Spiegel last month that the outbreak of fighting in Gaza had led to a recent accumulation of anti-Semitic crimes.
“I am concerned that this new wave of anti-Semitism will continue to occupy us for a long time,” Haldenwang quoted The Local Germany as saying.
Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, Haldenwang said about 1,800 conflict-related crimes have been reported.
“Our great fear is that disturbing images will emerge in the Gaza Strip as the war continues,” he said. “And that will lead to even greater radicalization here in Germany. “
To curb anti-Semitic incidents, police banned several pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
Referring to the history of Nazism and Jew-hatred in Germany, Haldenwang said the existing cases “are reminiscent of the worst moments in German history” and warned that “the scenario could get even worse. “
Since Hamas’ invasion last month, the Israeli military says the terror organization has fired more than 8,000 rockets into Israel. The IDF also released footage showing Hamas attacking rocket launchers near playgrounds and other civilian sites, presenting this as evidence that the organization’s terrorism organization is civilians as human shields.
On Monday, the IDF shared video footage of a construction site in the northern Gaza Strip, which infantrymen pointed to as a position where children are more likely to play. The video showed the rocket launchers inside the building, which one soldier said appeared to be pointing north, most likely toward the city of Ashkelon in Israel.
In a video shared through the IDF on Sunday, infantrymen in Beit Hanoun, a town in the far northeast of the Gaza Strip, drew attention to rocket launcher barrels in a residential neighborhood.
“What you can see here is a group of four barrels launching rockets [fired] at Israel,” an IDF soldier said in the video. “Just five meters from a children’s pool and 20-30 meters from residential buildings. All this in the middle of a residential area. “
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for the Christian Post. You can reach her at: samantha. kamman@christianpost. com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
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