Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (March 3, 2014)
March 3, 2014 Arts Culture & Entertainment THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 13 300+ Anne Frank books vandalized in Tokyo libraries (503) 538-2008 © First United Engineering DIARIES DESTROYED. A ripped copy of Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl picture book is shown by Shinjuku City library director Kotaro Fujimaki at a library in Tokyo. Tokyo Libraries said hundreds of copies of Anne Frank’s diary and related books were found vandalized across the city’s libraries, sparking fears of an anti-Semitic motive. More than 300 books in 31 libraries had been found damaged after the first damaged book was found in January, prompting a wider search. (AP Photo/Koji Ueda) Anne Frank wrote her has been some history of “journalistic and literary diary over the two years anti-Semitism in Japan, she and her family hid in a these kinds of incidents are concealed apartment in Nazi-occupied Netherlands in fact quite rare.” In the Nakano district during World War II. After libraries, the vandals ap- her family was betrayed parently damaged the and deported, she died in a books while unnoticed in- German concentration side reading rooms, accord- camp at age 15 in 1945. ing to city official Mitsujiro Her father survived and Ikeda. published her diary, which “Books related to Ms. has become the most wide- Anne Frank are clearly tar- ly read document to emerge geted, and it’s happening from the Holocaust. across Tokyo,” he said. “It’s The Simon Wiesenthal outrageous.” Center, a U.S.-based Jew- At another library, all ish human-rights organi- the books that were zation, issued a statement damaged could have been calling the vandalism a found using the keywords hate campaign and urging “Anne Frank” in an online authorities to step up database. efforts to find those respon- At least one library has sible. moved Anne Frank-related The Israeli Embassy is books behind the counter donating 300 Anne Frank- for protection, though they related books to replace the ones that were vandalized. can still be checked out. 2013 Most Honored Elder Award Recipient Chansom Sengsirivanh Chansom Sengsirivanh was born on January 10, 1942 in Vientiane, Laos. He is an accomplished songwriter who wrote his first piece at age 15. His lyrics are often sentimental and his songs fuse melodies with poetry. He has won many contests with his songs, which are still being recorded by artists throughout the world today. He and his wife Phanida Chittaphong Sengsirivanh have six children, two who live in the U.S. and four in Laos. He arrived in the U.S. in 1991 to live with his son, and in 1998, he moved to Portland. Ajarn Sengsirivanh is very active in the Lao community in Oregon. He is a member of the Lao Senior Association of Oregon, the Lao Women Association of Oregon, the Lao Artist Association, and the Lao temple. His contributions to the community include orchestrating cultural events, such as Lao New Year celebrations and singing contests, and assisting with newsletters. In 2011, Ajarn Sengsirivanh’s 55th anniversary of songwriting was celebrated by Lao Musician Fans & Friends (LMFF), a collective of musicians, friends, and fans who are currently documenting Sengsirivanh’s work. The event, held in Portland, was attended by performing artists from around the world. In addition, LMFF presented him a “Lifetime Achievement” award. He continues to write songs and publishes his poetry through social media. AR Photo/Jan Landis TOKYO (AP) — Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl and scores of books about the young Holocaust victim have been vandalized in Tokyo public libraries. The damage was mostly in the form of dozens of ripped pages in the books. Librarians have counted more than 300 damaged books at 31 municipal libraries since the end of January. Japan and Nazi Ger- many were allies in World War II, and though Holo- caust denial has occurred in Japan at times, the mo- tive for damaging the Anne Frank books is unclear. Police are investigating. Chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga called the vandalism “shameful” and said Japan would not tolerate such acts. The New-York-based Anti-Defamation League, a civil-rights group fighting anti-Semitism, praised Suga’s remarks. The league’s national di- rector, Abraham Foxman, called for a full investi- gation and asked Japan’s government “to carefully consider if this act of dis- respect for the memory of the millions of Jewish vic- tims who lost their lives in the Holocaust requires a new look at educational initiatives regarding the Holocaust and anti- Semitism.” He said that while there The Asian Reporter Foundation is accepting nominations for its 2014 “Most Honored Elder” awards. The recognition banquet will be held Thursday, April 17, 2014 at northeast Portland’s TAO Event Center. Nomination forms and guidelines for eligibility are available for download at <www.ARFoundation.net>. The nomination deadline is Wednesday, March 26, 2014 at 5:00pm.