A German daycare center named in honor of Anne Frank is preparing to change its name to “World Explorer” in order to suit the wishes of parents from “migrant backgrounds.”
Parents and teachers from the small town of Tangerhütte complained alike that the name is too elusive for young children and fails to reflect the area’s “focus on diversity,” despite the kindergarten having been given the name back in the 1970s.
The head of the daycare center noted that small children find it difficult to fully understand the history of the Jewish diarist, who died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp at the height of the Holocaust.
The mayor of the town similarly chimed in, stating, “Tangerhütte, with its educational institutions and all its civic engagement, stands for an open-minded Germany.”
The decision quickly drew backlash, with Vice President of the International Auschwitz Committee, Christoph Heubner, explaining, “If one is willing to dismiss one’s own history so carelessly, especially in these times of new antisemitism… and if Anne Frank’s name is perceived as unsuitable in public space, one can only become fearful and anxious when it comes to the culture of remembrance in our country.”
