Anne Frank And Her Family Were Refused Entry Into The US

They Spoke Out: American Voices Against The Holocaust is a project of Disney Educational Productions that chronicles the stories of Americans who rose to the challenge to rescue Jews from the Holocaust in Europe. It features the collaboration of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, and Batman artist Neal Adams.

One episode in the series, Walls of Paper, recounts the doomed attempt by Anne Frank and her family to get permission to enter the US:

Researchers recently discovered that before Anne Frank and her family went into hiding in the infamous attic in Amsterdam, the Franks sought permission to immigrate to America. "Walls of Paper" follows the desperate attempts by Anne's parents to overcome the harsh bureaucratic obstacles set up by the Roosevelt administration to discourage foreigners from coming to the United States. This episode sheds light on a deeply divided America, where former First Lady Grace Coolidge and other humanitarians lobbied for legislation to grant haven to German Jewish refugee children such as Anne, while opponents of immigration preyed on the public's fears and prejudice in order to keep America's doors closed.

The video currently is not embeddable, but you can view Walls of Paper online here.

Though this episode does tell the inspiring story of those who attempted to help the Frank family, their failure does not say much for the Roosevelt administration and politicians who doomed the Jews of Europe to their fate.

Technorati Tag: Anne Frank and Holocaust.