"The Victim as Icon: Moral Dilemmas in Appropriations of Anne Frank" With Ronald Leopold

Date
-
Event Sponsor
Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (JCCSF)
Location
CCSRE Conference Room, building 360

The Charles Michael Lecture Series

From face of the Holocaust to symbol of the BDS movement, from beacon of hope for victims of Hurricane Sandy to a key figure in Japan’s peace cult, Anne Frank has attained iconic status and has become a household name representing a wide range of causes. Anne’s father, who published his daughter’s diary after the war, hoped it would inspire people all over the world to build a better future. But should Anne Frank be deployed for any good cause? Do we need to protect her from appropriations we feel are inappropriate? And who defines ‘we’ and what is meant by ‘inappropriate’?”

Ronald Leopold is the Executive Director of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. Born in Groningen in the north of the Netherlands, he studied history at the University of Groningen. Following his studies, Leopold held numerous positions at the General Pension Fund for Public Employees where, among other things, he was involved with the implementation of legislation affecting war victims. Since 2011 he has been the Executive Director of the Anne Frank House.