The Diary of Anne Frank is a historical memoir of a young girl killed by Nazis during the Holocaust in World War 2. This text has been aptly popularized in high schools as an entertaining way to teach the fundamental and tragic horrors of this period of our American history by diving into the mind of a natural person who endured the event.

An American Legion community theater took this first-person perspective a step further by putting on a live production of the story in Livingston County, Michigan, on Saturday, November 9th.

A retelling of the horrors faced by Jews during World War 2 is vital at this current moment in time because of the conflict occurring between Israel and Hamas in the Middle East. No one in the United States would expect to feel the harrowing effects of the current conflict in our own country.

And yet, during the intermission of this theater production, the cast and audience were startled by a group of masked Nazi protestors waving swastika flags and shouting racist remarks outside of the building.

CNN’s Kathleen Magramo and Jillian Sikes interviewed Alex Sutliff, who is from the area and was driving home as he passed the troop of men that night. When asked about the scene, he said the group “all stuck their hands up” and chanted, “Heil Hitler, Heil Trump.”

With its proximity to the recent Election Day, this demonstration naturally appears to be politically driven in a display of right-wing extremism. The call for approval for Hitler and Trump in succession feels like a fusion of two of the mos poster boys for hate-fueled thought. Like Hitler, Trump is not lacking in support: he was, after all, overwhelmingly voted back into office by a vast majority.

Interestingly enough, Michigan also happens to be one of the swing states of the recent election, that narrowly transformed from blue to prominently red, helping to ensure a victory for President Trump.

Luckily, the protestors peacefully disbanded after Sutliff alerted the authorities of their activities. A threatening gesture is severe enough, but violent retaliation would have made the situation much more alarming. Nonetheless, this event managed to give those in attendance quite a fright. It was reported that a majority of audience members requested to be escorted back to their vehicles after the show for caution’s sake.

This is not the first incident of antisemitism that has occurred recently. It is reported in a video released by ABC News that, according to the Anti-Defamation League, there have been 10,000 anti-Semitic incidents reported nationwide since the October 7th, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

It is a challenge not to draw parallels between the history of Anne Frank’s diary and current events like this. Both were an attempt to instill fear and display power over a select group of people. Hate remains an all too real feeling that clearly no longer lurks in the shadows, even though we can use historical documentation to warn against just what hate can do.

It speaks highly of the production crew, who maintained their composure and put on a mask of bravery to finish the play even though they were aware that they had some not-so-big fans outside, hoping to rile them up.

For NBC News, Howell Township stated that they stand with American Legion 141 because they “know that hate doesn’t belong in their community.”

This is precisely why it is important to keep sharing these stories. Hate and prejudice and a general lack of misunderstanding of those who are not like ourselves have plagued our society from the dawn of time. To share how those who are marginalized survive in the face of adversity gives hope to those who continue to suffer through conflicts such as these.