Discover how Anne Frank’s story continues to shape conversations on empathy, education, and human rights in a compelling webinar featuring scholars from across the U.S.
Join the University of Iowa (UI) Anne Frank Initiative, an International Programs affinity group, on Friday, April 4, 2025, from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. (CDT) as they host an insightful and engaging webinar featuring several esteemed authors from the groundbreaking book, Exploring Anne Frank and Difficult Life Stories (Routledge, 2025).
Hear from authors who contributed to this compelling volume as they share their unique perspectives and insights on various themes including the relevance of Anne Frank's story in the 21st century and teaching difficult and sensitive topics, such as the Holocaust and other human rights violations.
“This event presents innovative studies and reflections by a range of scholars, writers, and directors of museums dedicated to the legacy of Anne Frank,” said Kirsten Kumpf Baele, director of the Anne Frank Initiative and a distinguished associate professor of instruction in German at the University of Iowa. “Speakers will reveal the power of life stories in teaching empathy and respect for all human beings in classrooms and in everyday life. This webinar promises to be an enriching experience for educators, students, and anyone passionate about fostering meaningful conversation!”
"The diary of Anne Frank is a multifaceted and forceful entry point for people of all ages and backgrounds to explore writing about difficult topics such as experiences of war, refugee life, and genocide, but also approaches to education in today's climate, even writing as a creative outlet and coping mechanism," shared Waltraud Maierhofer, professor of German and global health studies at the University of Iowa. "It is a great testimony to the productive energy at the University of Iowa to experience how the idea of bringing one of the saplings of the tree outside of Anne Frank's hiding place has grown into the Anne Frank Initiative with the book and events such as this, bringing together scholars, teachers, writers, and anybody whose life the diary of Anne Frank has touched."
University and K-12 educators across the globe will benefit from this webinar, gaining insight into how to discuss difficult stories in the classroom. The strategies and approaches shared will help educators create a more welcoming and empathetic learning environment.
“Anne Frank is often the first story students learn about the Holocaust, but it is important that it is not the only story students learn,” said Doyle Stevick, executive director at the Anne Frank Center at the University of South Carolina. “We must build bridges from Anne’s history both to other experiences of the Holocaust and to other lives and experiences across space and time. I was delighted by how the contributors help us to build those bridges.”
“This webinar is not just for those in academia,” shared Kumpf Baele, "but also for lifelong learners, whether you are a teacher, a student, a scholar, or simply someone who values engaging in rich dialogue with various life experiences, this event is for you to gain tools and perspectives to become a better listener and better communicator too.”
This webinar is co-sponsored by the Anne Frank Initiative, International Programs, the Anne Frank Center at the University of South Carolina, the UI Center for Human Rights, the UI Jewish Studies Network, the UI Pentacrest Museums, the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature, UI Global Health Studies, the UI College of Public Health, the Magid Center for Writing, the Obermann Center, and Global Ties Iowa.
Speakers include:
- Russell Ganim, associate provost and dean of International Programs and professor of French in the UI’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Much of Ganim’s career has been devoted to shared governance. Russ’s primary interests are to expand the UI’s presence in Africa and Latin America while increasing the role of faculty in shaping the direction of IP. He also intends to highlight the contributions of international scholars and students to the UI community.
- Waltraud Maierhofer, professor of German and global health studies at the University of Iowa. Maierhofer’s recent research and teaching address representations of reproductive and disability rights in German and global fiction and film. She’s received Alexander von Humboldt awards and translated The Child Witches of Lucerne and Buchau (2022) by Swiss novelist Eveline Hasler.
- Doyle Stevick, executive director at the Anne Frank Center at the University of South Carolina, which is the official partner of the Anne Frank House for the United States and Canada, and the only permanent partner site of the Anne Frank House in North America. Stevick was a Fulbright scholar to Estonia in 2003 and 2013–14 and has co‑edited two books on citizenship education and four books about Holocaust education around the world.
- Kirsten Kumpf Baele, director of the Anne Frank Initiative and a distinguished associate professor of instruction in German at the University of Iowa. Kumpf Baele’s teaching and scholarship address youth agency and expression, trees in the arts, and contested spaces. She brought the 13th sapling from Anne Frank’s Chestnut Tree to the university.
- Naomi Yavneh Klos, Reverend Bienvenu Distinguished Chair in Humanities and a professor of languages and cultures at Loyola University New Orleans. Yavneh Klos’ book project, Rereading Anne Frank, explores how understanding the nuances of Anne's story can guide us in addressing contemporary challenges of prejudice and systemic racism.
- Oren Baruch Stier, professor of religious studies and director of the Holocaust and Genocide Studies Program at Florida International University. Baruch Stier’s research addresses Jewish and Holocaust testimony, memory, education, and material culture. He regularly leads single- and multi-day workshops to educators on teaching Anne Frank and the Holocaust.
- Mark Gudgel, a Fulbright fellow at the College of Saint Mary, worked for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and taught 18 years in Nebraska public schools and wrote Think Higher Feel Deeper: Holocaust Education in the Secondary Classroom (2021).
- Amal Kassir is a Syrian American poet, writing teacher, speaker, and entrepreneur. Kassir has performed and taught in 13 countries and cities all over the world. She pioneered a youth Muslim mental wellness program in Denver, Colorado, and currently runs House of Amal, a global writing community.
- Mallory Hellman, director of the Iowa Youth Writing Project, holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop and a BA in English from Harvard. She has taught creative writing at the University of Iowa, the Duke University Talent Identification Program, and at K-12 schools throughout the Midwest.
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Daniel Vorwerk in advance at 319-497-1619 or daniel-vorwerk@uiowa.edu.
International Programs (IP) at the University of Iowa (UI) is committed to enriching the global experience of UI students, faculty, staff, and the general public by leading efforts to promote internationally oriented teaching, research, creative work, and community engagement. IP provides support for international students and scholars, administers scholarships and assistance for students who study, intern, or do research abroad, and provides funding opportunities and grant-writing assistance for faculty engaged in international research. IP shares their stories through various media, and by hosting multiple public engagement activities each year.