Spirit of Anne Frank Awards - Anne Frank Center

FrOm ThE ExECUTIvE DIrECTOr
Quoting from David Oshinsky’s
recent essay in the NY Times
book report – “In summer of
1950, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
turned down the Englishlanguage
rights to a Dutch
manuscript after reading a
particularly harsh reader’s
report calling the diary ‘very
dull, a dreary record of
Yvonne Simons
typical family bickering, petty
annoyances and adolescent emotions.’ Sales would be
small because the main characters were neither familiar
to Americans nor especially appealing. The Diary of Anne
Frank would be rejected by 15 others before Doubleday
published it in 1952.”
In light of this remarkable fact, 2007 marked the 60th
anniversary of the Dutch publication of Anne Frank’s Diary.
To date, nearly 40 million copies have been published in
66 languages, making it one of the best-selling books in
history, emphasizing the fact that the Diary continues to
be one of the most inspirational pleas for humanity.
38 Crosby Street, Fifth Floor
New York, NY 10013 USA
Though you will be able to read about it elsewhere in this
Newsletter, the 11th Spirit of Anne Frank Awards Gala
on June 12th at the rainbow room was a huge success.
We had a compelling evening with a preview of Chairman
Emeritus, Jack Polak and Ina Soep Polak’s documentary
film Steal a Pencil for Me, which is being shown all across
the world. It recently received the prestigious Yad vashem
Chairman’s Award after a special screening at the United
Nations earlier this summer. For the second year in a row,
the Gala significantly exceeded previous revenues, which
help underwrite our educational programs. On June 12th,
2008 our 12th Annual Spirit of Anne Frank Awards will
take place at The Pierre, allowing us to expand in terms
of audience and program components. I hope you will join
us!
It is of great importance that you remain involved with The
Anne Frank Center, USA. Your support helps underwrite
our educational programs and exhibitions, and helps us
inspire and empower the next generation to build a world
based on mutual respect.
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