My Aunt and Uncle were fairly positive that we would enjoy the Anne Frank Memorial in Boise, Idaho.
ANNE FRANK MEMORIAL IN BOISE
My 12 year old daughter is especially fond of Anne Frank since her school has focused on teaching WW2, and "The Diary of Anne Frank" was a required reading book.
The Memorial was built fairly recently, and was breathtaking and tranquil. A statue of Anne opened the Memorial, and then as one walks down to the pond tricking through large walls of stone outline the water feature. The stones are carved with powerful and poignant quotes throughout history, which focus on freedom and releasing the captives from powerful tyrants, dictators, and murderers.
One of my favorite quotes posted is from a speech given by Sojourner Truth called "Ain't I a Woman?" A poignant quote carved into the stone was one by Haim Ginott which came from his book "Teacher and Child: A Book for Parents and Teachers," and it says "I am a survivor of a concentration camp. My eyes saw what no person should witness. Gas chambers built by learned engineers. Children poisoned by educated physicians. Infants killed by trained nurses. Women and babies shot and killed by high school and college graduates. So, I am suspicious of education. My request is: help your students become human. Your efforts must never produce learned monsters, skilled psychopaths, or educated Eichmanns. Reading, writing, and arithmetic are only important if they serve to make our children more humane."
After contemplating these thought provoking quotes, we strolled down the Boise River walk and past a picture-perfect lily pond. The conversation was thought provoking as we strove to avoid the bicyclists coming at us like missiles seeking a target! They would yell "To the left" and we jumped!
