Nicholas Kristoff’s Analysis of The Connection Between The Syrian Migrant Problem and The Jewish Annihilation as Illustrated in His New York Times Article, Anne Frank Today is a Syrian Girl

Op-ed columnist and New York Times author, Nicholas Kristoff, article “Anne Frank Today is a Syrian Girl” argues how the Syrian Refugee Crisis is similar to the Holocaust. He writes about the American reaction to both crisis as well as the lack of empathy and resources for the refugees. Kristoff uses a sharp tone to allow the reader to understand the past and present in their hostility towards refugees.

The article starts with the reader showing the Anne Frank picture and a bloody Syrian girl after an airstrike in Syria along side-by-side. Kristoff uses pathos in order for the reader have emotion. However, Anne Frank is seen as neatly dressed on the right and on the left the picture shows a girl crying with a disheveled appearance and blood everywhere. Both girls faced hostility in their home countries and were not able to come to America for a better life.

Kristoff begins with Otto Frank’s perspective in trying to flee Germany by obtaining visas for his family. Unfortunately, global indifference cost his children to get murdered in Nazi Germany. The United States indirectly murdered them because they turned a blind eye to the Holocaust. Kristoff asks, “Sound familiar?” in which he is referring to the Syrian Refugee Crisis and that history seems to repeat, towards refugees who are trying to escape persecution. The kairos in this article is timely, because the United States repeating their paranoia towards encountering Syrians who are coming into the country in huge numbers.

Kristoff stated that Obama promised to increase the number of Syrian refugees coming into the United States. However, terrorism fears are preventing Syrian refugees from seeking asylum in the United States. Readers feel emotion or pathos when they read about the uncertainty that Syrian and Jewish families have in terms of public opinion. Kristoff utilizes facts or logos by defending the claim that Jewish families were not wanted. A consultant from Anne Frank Amsterdam House stated that a family does not want to go into hiding in the heart of Nazi occupation unless they do not have options.

Kristoff uses ethos when he states that he was the son of Jewish refugees when he came into the United States during World War II. He directly relates to the current Syrian Refugee Crisis because he understands what it is like to escape danger. He highlights that even though Anne Frank and her family knew English and had an American network, they thought it would have a better transition. However, Kristoff purposely uses logos when he includes a poll about what American people thought about the Jewish Refugees and their concerns outweighed their sympathies.

Kristoff strategically uses logos from the New York Chamber Commerce in 1934 by commenting that if the United States continues to take in the refugees then that will gain a reputation in being a poor house or asylum. This proves that the United States government did not value human lives and was more concerned about profits. Refugees were viewed as United States deficit as well as an invisible enemy. Kristoff deliberately italicized the readers’ comments about how Jewish refugees were not as dangerous as Syrian refugees; “But Jews weren’t a threat the way Syrian refugees are!” Kristoff captures the irony in this statement that shows that refugees were the enemy and this repeats history.

At the end of the article, Kristoff primarily focuses on how government was responsible in letting in Jewish refugees. The State Department had their own biases towards the Jewish refugees entering the country and they had a paranoia that Communists and Nazi spies were also coming into the country. When Kristoff uses logos, he tries to make the reader feel outraged and empathy for the suffering that the Jewish refugees went through in coming to the United States.

Kristoff provides the elected official and politicians viewpoint; “In this political environment, officials and politicians lost all humanity.” This pathos phrase shows that politicians feel threatened when immigrants come in large numbers and their ethics and humanity was being questioned. From the claim that some politicians were losing humanity represents the presence of logos. Kristoff provides an example of Senator Robert Reynolds when he wanted to introduce legislation that could ‘deport every alien in the United States.’

In addition, Kristoff explains that politics caused the United States to have tight borders in preventing Jewish refugees such as Frank’s family from coming into the country. He criticizes the Obama administration because they did not do enough by stating, “the slaughter of Syria casts a shadow on his legacy.” Kristoff stated the catastrophic consequences which deeply impacted the Syrian children who have little to no access to education.

Nicholas Kristoff’s purpose was to expose the parallels that Syrian refugees faced in comparison to Jewish refugees. The writer systematically processes how the political and public biases of Americans and their government officials had prevented Jewish and Syrian refugees from entering because of hostile political climate that continues to be present.