Anne Frank Halloween costume is pulled after many deem it offensive By Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staff on 10.25.17 Word Count 576 Level 1130L A photo of the Anne Frank costume. The name of the costume was changed to, among others, "Child's World War II Girl" after the outcry over using the name of Anne Frank, one of the more than 6 million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust. Photo by: Candy Apple Costumes The Halloween costume, a blue button-up dress, is accessorized with a green beret and a brown shoulder bag. It's reminiscent of the kind of clothing young girls are likely to have worn in the 1930s and 1940s, said a product description below the image of a model: a brown-haired girl with a smile on her face and her hand on her waist. For $25 (plus shipping), "your child can play the role of a World War II hero" on Halloween, it promised. But the costume portraying Anne Frank, the Jewish teenager whose diary chronicled the horrors of life under the Nazis, was called offensive by numerous critics, including major advocacy groups. So Halloweencostumes.com, an online retailer, removed the item from its website, and its spokesman apologized. They said offending people wasn't the company's intention. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1
Images of the costume began circulating over the weekend on social media. Costume Cheapens Memory Of Anne Frank Critics were disgusted. They said the costume was insensitive and misused the memory of a victim of the Holocaust, which killed more than 6 million people during World War II. The Anti-Defamation League, or ADL, protects the rights of Jewish people. Its St. Louis branch wrote on Twitter, "We learn from Anne Frank's life and death to honor her & prevent future atrocity." The ADL's regional director in Arizona said we should not cheapen her memory as a costume. As the outrage swelled, Ross Walker Smith, spokesman for Halloweencostumes.com, said on Twitter: "We take feedback from our customers very seriously. We have passed along the feedback regarding this costume, and it has been removed from the website at this time." Alexandra Devitt, a spokeswoman for the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect, was also upset. She said that there are more appropriate ways to remember the life story of Anne Frank than through a Halloween costume. The costume is offensive and makes light of her suffering and the suffering of millions during the Holocaust. Costume Still Lingering Online Devitt said in a statement that the organization was pleased that Halloweencostumes.com had stopped selling the product. But the costume hasn't completely disappeared from the digital marketplace. As of Tuesday, the outfit remains for sale on some sites under other product names, including "World War II Evacuee Girl" and "Child's World War II Girl." Amazon.com, for instance, is offering the alternatively named costumes through third-party sellers. Halloweencostumes.com marketed the attire as "WW2 Anne Frank Girls Costume," igniting criticism. "Hard to see how this offensive idea made it this far, but thankfully this costume has been removed from the market," the ADL national organization said on Twitter. Anne's Father Was The Only Survivor Frank died of a disease called typhus, commonly suffered by people during war or famine. She died in 1945 at age 15 at a concentration camp in Germany. She and her family were captured the year before, when Nazi investigators discovered them hiding behind a movable bookcase. They had spent more than two years hiding in a secret annex at the back of her father's store in Amsterdam, which is in Europe. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2
Before World War II was over, 7 of the 8 hiders were dead, including Frank. Her father, Otto, survived and spent the rest of his life trying to figure out who tipped off the Nazis about their hiding place. Otto Frank also published his daughter's diary. It chronicled the rise of anti-jewish views in the Netherlands and has been translated into 67 languages. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3
Quiz 1 According to the article, the Anne Frank Halloween costume is still being sold, despite public outcry. Which sentence BEST supports the idea outlined above? For $25 (plus shipping), "your child can play the role of a World War II hero" on Halloween, it promised. She said that there are more appropriate ways to remember the life story of Anne Frank than through a Halloween costume. Amazon.com, for instance, is offering the alternatively named costumes through third-party sellers. Halloweencostumes.com marketed the attire as "WW2 Anne Frank Girls Costume," igniting criticism. 2 Which of these details from the article BEST helps to shape the main idea? Otto Frank published his daughter's diary after World War II. The Anne Frank Halloween costume was being sold for $25. Critics argues that the costume made light of the suffering of millions of people. The costume has been taken off of the Halloweencostumes.com website. 3 The CENTRAL idea of the article is developed by: highlighting the names under which the costume remains available explaining why some organizations are offended by the costume telling which company originally sold the costume providing details about how the Franks survived in hiding This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4
4 Read the selection from the section "Anne's Father Was The Only Survivor." Otto Frank also published his daughter's diary. It chronicled the rise of anti-jewish views in the Netherlands and has been translated into 67 languages. Which of the following can be inferred from the selection above? Anne Frank's diary is a popular work of literature for learning about the Holocaust. Anne Frank's father published her diary so that people would learn about the Jewish faith. Anne Frank's diary was used by the Dutch government to promote anger toward Jewish people. Anne Frank's father published her diary because he feared how the Dutch government would talk about the Holocaust in the future. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5
Answer Key 1 According to the article, the Anne Frank Halloween costume is still being sold, despite public outcry. Which sentence BEST supports the idea outlined above? For $25 (plus shipping), "your child can play the role of a World War II hero" on Halloween, it promised. She said that there are more appropriate ways to remember the life story of Anne Frank than through a Halloween costume. Amazon.com, for instance, is offering the alternatively named costumes through third-party sellers. Halloweencostumes.com marketed the attire as "WW2 Anne Frank Girls Costume," igniting criticism. 2 Which of these details from the article BEST helps to shape the main idea? Otto Frank published his daughter's diary after World War II. The Anne Frank Halloween costume was being sold for $25. Critics argues that the costume made light of the suffering of millions of people. The costume has been taken off of the Halloweencostumes.com website. 3 The CENTRAL idea of the article is developed by: highlighting the names under which the costume remains available explaining why some organizations are offended by the costume telling which company originally sold the costume providing details about how the Franks survived in hiding This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 6
4 Read the selection from the section "Anne's Father Was The Only Survivor." Otto Frank also published his daughter's diary. It chronicled the rise of anti-jewish views in the Netherlands and has been translated into 67 languages. Which of the following can be inferred from the selection above? Anne Frank's diary is a popular work of literature for learning about the Holocaust. Anne Frank's father published her diary so that people would learn about the Jewish faith. Anne Frank's diary was used by the Dutch government to promote anger toward Jewish people. Anne Frank's father published her diary because he feared how the Dutch government would talk about the Holocaust in the future. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 7