Two local US officials have been demanding the honourary citizenship of Anne Frank. Frank, whose heart-rendering diaries opened up the window to the Shoah, the Nazi destruction of European Jewry, has previously been denied a postage stamp with her face on it and a statue in the Capitol.
Local councilman Chris Bodkin and congressman Steve Israel have been campaigning for over a year now to get Frank an honourary US citizenship. In 2005 they introduced legislation to make Frank the seventh person in history to receive this honourary status. Israel's party currently controls congress and documents have been recently made available showing Otto Frank's desperate attempt to acquire immigration rights in order to save his family. These are among several factors now in favour of the legislation, and Israel and Bodkin are now hopeful of the honourary citizenship being granted to Frank.
However, some relatives of Frank do not take to the idea because they claim that Anne should have been made a citizen when she was alive; making her an honourary citizen now is too little and late. Also many people believe that this is a lack lustre attempt by the US to ease its conscience. The outcome of the legislation is yet to be decided but many factors are now in favour of Bodkin and Israel.