Anne Frank Award Acceptance  (February 2026)

Thank you VERY MUCH for this incredible honor.

Anne Frank wrote a DIARY that she hoped one day would be a book…
She wrote: ‘Imagine how interesting it would be if I published a novel about the Secret Annex.’”

It was discovered by Miep Gies who gave it to her father who DID turn it into a book. A book that has been read by millions worldwide. And if you’ve visited the Anne Frank Center here then you may have seen the display where the diary was translated into 70 languages.

I am eternally grateful to the Anne Frank Center for embracing our book. I’ve heard from SC teachers who tell me: we’ve used “The Diary of Anne Frank” and Elie Wiesel’s NIGHT, but now we have YOUR book and it’s more meaningful because it is a South Carolina story.

Folks: I would not be standing here tonight if it weren’t for the trust the Goldberg family put in me to share their parent’s story. So I’d like to ask Henry, Karl and Esther to stand and be recognized.

IF YOU WILL INDULGE ME FOR A MOMENT
In May of 2000, Felix Goldberg (of blessed memory) described his harrowing Holocaust experience at the annual Yom HaShoah ceremony. He handed me his speech and said (in that beautiful Polish accent)  “Frankie—do something with this.”  Little did I know at the time, how meaningful his request was.

With the family’s blessing, I created an education website about both Felix and Bluma (which we have shared with hundreds of educators) and our book for young adults—WE SURVIVED THE HOLOCAUST– was a natural next step.

With my royalties from the sales of our book, we have distributed books now to every middle and high school library in the state. And with my occasional speaking fees, we’re giving educators classroom sets of the book to use in instruction.

Often I am invited into those classrooms to answer student’s questions. But I always start with MY OWN series of questions: who was Adolph Hitler; how many Jews died in the Holocaust; who knows who else collaborated with the Nazis; what is propaganda; what is antisemitism?  It is these last 3 questions that students don’t know the answers to.  That’s when I hold up our book and say: the answers are here, in this book.

With antisemitism on the rise here and around the world, we cannot rest on our laurels…as you can imagine we have much more work to do. My mission—and that of the Anne Frank Center continues.

4 Years ago, upon first learning of the Anne Frank Center’s existence, Doyle Stevick asked me: “who else needs to know about us” I gave him a lengthy list (as I recall) and I am willing to bet all of you are here tonight.

Thank YOU for being here. Thank you for acknowledging our work.

I have one simple request: if you have not YET read our book please consider it.

Thank you to my family and friends. Lastly, they say behind every successful man is a strong woman. That woman, my wife is Melanie Baker.