By jtmanley
Last Saturday, my friends and I went to the Centro Ana Frank in barrio Belgrano. Having known about the Anne Frank story and the eponymous museum in Amsterdam, I was excited to see what what in store. Surprisingly, the Center was not on any of the tourist maps that I got months earlier, which usually go to great lengths to point out interesting cultural spots around town. After taking the Subte's D line to the terminal stop, Congreso de Tucumán, we walked for 20 minutes until we got to the unassuming yellow house, the front banner of Anne's face greeting us with a smile as we entered.
After entering the house, we went upstairs to watch a short film about Anne's life and legacy before entering into a recreation of the annex, bookcase and all,where she and her family lived during the dark World War II period. Before leaving the annex, we inquired about the status of the famed tree that Anne described in her diary as a source of hope and joy in trying times. We were told that it died a few years ago and that saplings were sent all over the world to be planted to continue her memory. Little did we know that the Centro Ana Frank had received a sapling and that it was growing strong right in the backyard!
After looking at the young, but strong tree in the yard, we returned back to two main rooms to listen to a volunteer guide us through the intersecting timeline of World War II and the Frank family during the same period. Seeing how Anne's development lined up with the development of the Holocaust and the War was one thing. Seeing the original artifacts like the wedding shawl of Anne's parents, a Nazi armband, and keys that Jewish homeowners abandoned as they fled to avoid persecution was another.
But being in Buenos Aires and relearning about Anne Frank was eerie. I say that because Argentina, with the largest Jewish population in Latin America, and Buenos Aires, in particular, was home to many years to some of the worst Nazi war criminals. Juan Perón's government intentionally harbored them. Indeed, the "Doctor of Death," Josef Mengele and Adolf Eichmann lived here for decades after the end of the War.
In the end, going to the Centro Ana Frank served a good purpose. As an international affairs student, it is all too easy to become desensitized to World War II and the Holocaust. The subjects that you learn about as a young elementary schooler are enhanced in middle and high school before becoming a debate amongst the realist, liberal, critical theory, and constructivist schools in college. Every now and then, it is important to remember the personal stories behind the events, past and present, in international affairs. Those personal stories remind you that academic debate and analysis, by themselves, can never give you the full picture. Names and faces have a role to play as well.