SALEM — Tonight’s program of the Salem Historical Society & Museum will be presented at the Shaffer Library, located at 239 S. Lundy Ave. at 7 p.m. Non-members of the society are welcome to attend. Following a short business meeting, the program, “Inspiring Lessons from Anne Frank’s Diary,” will be presented by Father John Neiman.

Neiman was a Catholic priest and a close friend of Otto Frank, Anne Frank’s father, as well as Miep Gies, who helped hide the Frank family. After reading Anne Frank’s diary in 1963, Neiman wrote to Otto Frank, initiating a correspondence that developed into a deep friendship. He dedicated his life to educating others about the Anne Frank story, sharing his unique insights and personal encounters with the Frank family through lectures and talks.

Neiman was born in 1953 in Santa Monica, California. He grew up in Encino, California and attended Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas where he earned a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in History. He attended St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, California and was ordained a Roman Catholic Priest on Feb. 1, 1986. As a fifth-grade student he couldn’t fully grasp the significance of Anne Frank and her diary. It took a second reading and repeated trips to the library for him to form a bond with the text that would change the course of his life. He was involved in Holocaust remembrance activities in the Los Angeles area for many years. He helped organize Holocaust education seminars for teachers and gave several talks at local schools and synagogues. In June 1981, he attended the World Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors in Jerusalem and then the American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors in Washington, DD, in April 1983. He served as an active priest in the Archdiocese of Los Angelous of 1986 until 2014 and retired in 2018. He currently resides in Chester, West Virginia.

For information contact the Salem Historical Society at 330-337-8514.