Anne Frank exhibit comes to Toronto amid spike in anti-Semitic, racist incidents, TDSB says

The Toronto District School Board is hoping that having its students stagea travelling exhibit about Anne Frank will help educate themabout the destruction hate can bring especially at a time when the board says it'sseeingaspike in racist and anti-Semiticgraffiti in itsschools.

Anne Frank - A History for Todaydetailsthe life of the Jewish girl and her family, who hidin an attic in the Netherlands from 1942 to 1944before beingarrested and sent todie in the Nazi deathcamps.

The young teen gained fame after her deathwhen her diaries describing her family's life in hiding were publishedunder the title The Diary of a Young Girl.

The exhibit features special items on loan from the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam.

ShariSchwartz-Maltz,who is onthe Toronto District School Board's Jewish Heritage Committee, said there has been a rise in reportedanti-Semiticandracist incidents in general, and that disturbing trend has also been seen inTDSBschools.

• TDSB education director says board not afraid to admit racism exists

• Threat made to Jewish school in Toronto on same day that U.S. groups get threats

• Toronto Jewish community in 'a lot of distress' following spate of threats and attacks, says rabbi

"We've even seenanti-Semiticgraffiti at our schools, racist graffiti at our schools. So we felt very strongly that we had to bring an exhibit that taught kids that it's wrong to hate," saidSchwartz-Maltz.

"And what better way to do it than through the words of a 13-year-old girl, because they are her age."

The exhibit just happened to bestored in Ontario before being shipped out west, so theTDSBrequested a chance to show itat JohnPolanyiCollegiate Institute. But the approval came with a big caveat.

Anne Frank House in Amsterdam stresses "peer education," soin order to get the exhibit, theTDSBhad to commit to training 17 students to explain the exhibit to other young people.

Anne Frank House sent a staff member to conduct the day-long course.

"It was pretty intense," said Owen Reid, 17, a student at JohnPolanyiCollegiateon Lawrence AvenueWest near Allen Road.

Reid said the special exhibits including an actual yellow cloth patch the Nazis forced the Jews to wear in Amsterdam and a replica of Anne Frank's diary really brought her story to life.

"It's hard to picture yourself in that time period, but with the artifacts like this you cankind ofput yourself in that time period a bit better," he said.

"It was very different, but in a lot of ways similar to what's happening now."

The Grade 11 student connected with a group of Grade 7 pupilsfrom John G.AlthouseMiddle School inEtobicokeby asking them if they every had to share a room with a sibling.

"Now imagine having to share a small space with eight people!" said Reid, who can't believe Frank and her family had to share such a small attic for two years.

The exhibit features photographs of Anne Frank's childhood in Frankfurt and in Amsterdam, andportrays the rise of the Nazis andthe persecution of the Jews.

More than 2,300TDSBstudents from about 90 schools have seen the exhibit. Each student received a copy ofThe Diary of a Young Girlby Anne Frank from the HeatherReismanLove of Reading Foundation.

To mark Jewish Heritage Month, the exhibit will be open to public on Sunday, May 7 and Sunday, May 28 from 9.a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

Brandon Ton, 13, one of the students from John G. AlthouseMiddle School, said he got a lot out the experience,

"I think we should learn from the past and don't let it repeat," he said.