Etty Hillesum and Anne Frank
A Lesson from the Etty Project pairing two young female diarists during WWII
About this Lesson
In this lesson from The Etty Project, learners compare the lives and writing of two female diarists during WWII: Anne Frank and the lesser-known Etty Hillesum, a Dutch author of confessional letters and diaries which describe both her religious awakening and the persecutions of Jewish people in Amsterdam during the German occupation. In 1943, she was deported and murdered in Auschwitz concentration camp.
Through comparison, learners get to know the realities of the Holocaust through these personal stories, and explore the power writing can have in forming one's experience.
Over fourteen years Etty Project has presented the play Etty at venues all over the world. They bring her diary as a light to a new generation's challenges.
They offer performances of Etty to theaters, universities, and schools. Workshops on theater, the Holocaust, genocide, and social justice complement the play.
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