Internationally acclaimed Anne Frank exhibit opens at Kennesaw State University
The internationally acclaimed “Anne Frank in the World” exhibit opens to the public…
Georgia (Nov 3, 2003) — Internationally acclaimed Anne Frank exhibit opens at Kennesaw State University
Frances Weyand
Abstract
Contact: Frances Weyand‚ Director of University Relations‚ 770−423−6203 or fweyand@kennesaw.edu
KENNESAW‚ Ga.−−The internationally acclaimed “Anne Frank in the World” exhibit opens
to the public Friday‚ Nov. 14 at 2 p.m.‚ following a ribbon cutting by Gov. Sonny
Perdue. The governor will then lead the first tour through the exhibit. The 2‚000−square−foot
museum is constructed with a hidden bookcase entrance to remind visitors of the secretive
nature of two years of Frank’s life. The more than 8‚000 words of text and 600 pictures
in the exhibit tell the story of the German−Jewish teenager who spent more than two
years hiding in rooms in an annex above her father’s office in Amsterdam during World
War II. She and her family were later betrayed to the Nazis and sent to Bergen−Belsen
concentration camp where she died in 1945 at the age of 15.
The Georgia Commission on the Holocaust granted the world’s largest Anne Frank exhibit
to Kennesaw State University after the commission was awarded the exhibit by the Anne
Frank Center of New York and Anne Frank House of Amsterdam. The arrangement included
an agreement by the commission to raise the funds necessary to bring the exhibit to
the state.
Sylvia Wygoda‚ executive director of the commission‚ approached Kennesaw State University
President Betty Siegel and Cobb Commission Chairman Sam Olens to spearhead the fundraising
effort. The KSU Foundation and its trustees‚ including Sen. Steve Thompson and Norman
Radow‚ president of Congregation Etz Chaim‚ raised $64‚000 to secure the exhibit for
at least three years. Options for renewal mean the exhibit could be housed at Georgia’s
largest northwest university for an indefinite period of time.
Initial exhibit sponsors include Holder Construction‚ which built the unique museum
that houses the exhibit; and the architecture and engineering firm Stevens & Wilkinson
Stang & Newdow Inc.‚ designers of the museum.
“We are honored to have been chosen as the home of this extraordinary exhibit‚” Siegel
said. “‘Anne Frank in the World’ offers us an incredible opportunity to celebrate
and promote tolerance and diversity to school children and visitors from across the
state and around the world. It is imperative that this story remain in the public
consciousness‚ not only for what it teaches us about the Holocaust but also for what
it says about the human spirit.”
KSU development officials are currently working to raise $1 million for collateral
programming‚ including the creation of Anne Frank trunks that will be filled with
educational materials and sent to schools in rural Georgia. Another aspect of the
collateral programming will be musical and theatrical performances‚ symposiums and
lectures by scholars on tolerance‚ diversity‚ the Holocaust and related topics. Guest
lecturers will include Holocaust survivors‚ their children and concentration camp
liberators.
“We‚ the survivors‚ are becoming fewer and fewer each year‚” Dr. Eugen Schoenfeld‚
a Holocaust survivor‚ said. “There is nothing more powerful than for survivors to
talk about their experience and their understanding of the human condition.”
The exhibit is located in the east hallway of KSU Center. There is no charge to view
the exhibit; however‚ there will be a donation box. For further information about
hours of operation and directions‚ call 678−797−2083.
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Kennesaw State University is a comprehensive‚ residential institution with a growing
student population of nearly 17‚500 from 123 countries. The fourth largest state university
out of 34 institutions in the University System of Georgia‚ KSU offers more than 55
undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its more than 41,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia and the second-largest university in the state. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the region and from 126 countries across the globe. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.
