The United States Postal Service Should Issue a Postage Stamp Commemorating Anne Frank

Mr. President, Today is Anne Frank's birthday. If she had survived the horror of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, then she would have been 74 years old. But she did not survive and because of her moving and thoughtful diary, the world got to know her and understand what it was like living in that apartment during the Nazis' reign of terror. Anne Frank's diary has educated generations around the world about tolerance and dignity. It has left a mark in a way that few books can, and the world is a better place because of Anne Frank's story.

That is why I am proud to submit a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the United States Postal Service should issue a postage stamp commemorating Anne Frank and the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee should recommend to the Postmaster General that such a stamp be issued.

Anne Frank was born on June 12, 1929, in Frankfurt, Germany to a German-Jewish family. She and her family fled the Nazi persecution of Jews in Germany and sought safety by moving to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Following the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, Anne Frank and her family were forced into hiding in an annex located above her father's office. The family spent 25 months in hiding which Anne Frank described in her diary.

The family was betrayed and turned over to the Nazis. Anne Frank was imprisoned in the Bergen-Belsen Nazi concentration camp, where she died in March 1945. She was one of approximately 1,500,000 Jewish children who died at the hands of the Nazis during World War II. In the midst of this unthinkable horror, her diary survived, and was published by her father after the end of the war. It has become one of the most widely read memoirs of the Holocaust experience. It has been translated into more than 67 languages and has touched people around the world.

The Diary of Anne Frank holds a special place of honor in the United States. It is the first educational encounter with the Holocaust for many American students. It has been repeatedly dramatized in motion pictures and in the theater. Millions of Americans have come to identify with Anne Frank. She has become an inspiration to children of all faiths and assists young people deal with important issues such as discrimination, bigotry and hate crimes.
Anne Frank serves as an enduring symbol of bravery, hope, and tolerance in the face of harsh and brutal conditions. A commemorative postage stamp would be a meaningful way for Americans to honor Anne Frank's inextinguishable courage and dignity. I urge my colleagues to co-sponsor this resolution and assist our efforts to convince the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee to recommend the issuance of a postage stamp commemorating Anne Frank.