Miep Gies
Miep Gies, born Hermine Santruschitz on February 15, 1909, in Vienna, Austria, became a notable figure during World War II for her role in hiding the Jewish Frank family, including Anne Frank, from the Nazis. After moving to the Netherlands as a child, she developed strong ties to her foster family and later worked for Otto Frank. As the Nazi threat intensified, Gies bravely agreed to help the Frank family and others hide in a secret annex above Frank's business in 1942. She risked her life to provide them with food, news, and support throughout their time in hiding until they were discovered in 1944. After the war, Gies preserved Anne Frank's diary, which would later be published as "The Diary of a Young Girl." Throughout her life, she spoke out against the Holocaust and shared her experiences, ultimately publishing her memoir in 1987. Gies was recognized for her courage with various honors, including knighthood from the Dutch Queen. She passed away on January 11, 2010, at the age of 100, leaving behind a legacy of resilience and compassion in the face of adversity.
Miep Gies
Historical figure
- Born: February 15, 1909
- Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
- Died: January 11, 2010
- Place of death: Hoorn, Netherlands
Also known as: Hermine Santruschitz
Significance: Miep Gies became famous for helping hide the Frank family during the Holocaust. The publication of the diary kept by Anne Frank, the youngest daughter of the Frank family, made their story known worldwide. Gies kept the family safe for about two years, but the Nazis eventually found and captured the Franks and sent them to concentration camps.
Background
Miep Gies was born Hermine Santruschitz on February 15, 1909, in Vienna, Austria. When Gies was a child, World War I (1914–1918) began. It made life difficult for many people, including her family. They did not have much to eat, and Gies became weak. Her family decided to send Gies to live with a foster family in the Netherlands in 1920.
Her new family gave her the nickname Miep, and she learned how to speak Dutch at school. Gies fell in love with her new family and life in the Netherlands. The stay with the foster family was supposed to be temporary until Gies was well enough to return to her family, but the stay became permanent.
After she finished high school, Gies worked as an office assistant at a textile company. After six years with the company, she lost her job in 1933. The economic status of the country made it hard for her to find employment. A few months later, Gies found work at a company that made a substance used to make jam. A man named Otto Frank, who had moved to Amsterdam from Germany, owned the company.
Frank was waiting for the arrival of his wife, Edith, and two daughters, Margot and Anne Frank, who were in Germany. Frank and Gies became good friends. They both opposed German chancellor Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Frank admitted that he and his family left Germany because of Hitler and his anti-Jewish policies. The entire Frank family came to Amsterdam by early 1934.
Frank's company grew. He partnered with a man named Hermann van Pels, who made meat spices. Van Pels was a Jewish man who fled from Germany to Amsterdam with his family.
Life's Work
At this time, things worsened as many people fled Germany because of Hitler and the Nazis. In 1939, Hitler invaded Poland, and World War II (1939–1945) began. By mid-1940, Germany took control of the Netherlands and enforced anti-Jewish policies there. Gies worried for her Jewish friends.
Frank moved the company to a larger space in 1940. He grew worried about his company and did not want to put his employees in danger. He appointed his employees to run the company for him at the end of 1941.
In 1942, Frank told Gies that he and his family were going into hiding with the van Pels family. He had a space in the annex above his company for them to hide. He then asked Gies if she would help them. She knew that she would be jailed if authorities found out, but she did not care and agreed to help Frank and the others.
The Franks went into hiding in the annex in June 1942. The van Pels joined them a week later, and a dentist named Friedrich "Fritz" Pfeffer joined the group in November. A few workers at the company helped Gies keep the people hidden and ensure they had supplies. Gies visited the Franks and the others to inform them of what was going on in the world. She brought them food and books.
In the spring of 1943, food became difficult to procure. Gies also was hiding a student at her home, and this put added stress on her. She had less positive news and barely any food to give those in hiding. She feared that someone would find them, and she would be arrested. At the end of 1943, a few of the occupants of the annex became ill, which brought more stress to Gies and the other helpers, since they could not get them medical care.
Everyone recovered by the start of 1944, and they all hoped for an end to the war. However, on August 4, 1944, German authorities entered the company. They arrested a few of the helpers and took the Franks and the others to concentration camps. They did not arrest Gies, and she continued to run the company.
The war ended in the spring of 1945 with the defeat of Germany. The people in the concentration camps were released. All of the former occupants of the annex except Otto Frank died in the concentration camps. Frank returned to Amsterdam and lived with Gies and her family. Gies had a special present for Frank. She found and kept his daughter Anne's diary. She did not read it but kept it in case of the family's return. Frank eventually published it as The Diary of a Young Girl.
Frank stayed with Gies until he moved to Switzerland in 1952. Gies visited him regularly, and they remained close friends. In the 1980s, Gies traveled and spoke out about the Holocaust. She published her memoir, Anne Frank Remembered: The Story of the Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family, in 1987. Gies died at the age of one hundred on January 11, 2010.
Impact
Gies was remembered for her courageousness for honoring the agreement that she made with the Franks to keep them safely hidden from the Nazis. She felt terrible sadness that someone betrayed them, and she spoke out against the Holocaust later in her life. The West German government gave her the civilian medal in 1989, and Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands knighted Gies in 1996.
Personal Life
Gies married Jan Gies, whom she met while working at her first job. They courted for many years because they did not have the funds to get married. When she found out that she would be deported to Austria, they rushed to get married so she could become a Dutch citizen and remain in the Netherlands. They married in 1941. Jan Gies helped his wife to care for the Frank family and the others while they were in hiding and to run Frank's company. Gies gave birth to a son, Paul, in 1950. The Gieses and Frank remained close friends until Frank's death in 1980. Jan Gies died in 1993.
Bibliography
Goldsteinjan, Richard. "Miep Gies, Protector of Anne Frank, Dies at 100." New York Times, 11 Jan. 2010, www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/world/europe/12gies.html?mcubz=0. Accessed 5 Sept. 2017.
"Miep Gies." Anne Frank House, www.annefrank.org/en/Anne-Frank/All-people/Miep-Gies. Accessed 5 Sept. 2017.
"Miep Gies." Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, hmd.org.uk/resources/stories/miep-gies. Accessed 5 Sept. 2017.
"Miep Gies: Biography." Miep Gies, www.miepgies.nl/en/biography. Accessed 5 Sept. 2017.
"The Story of Miep Gies." Holocaust: Crimes, Heroes and Villains, www.auschwitz.dk/miepgies.htm. Accessed 5 Sept. 2017.
"2010: Miep Gies, Who Hid Anne Frank, Dies at 100." History.com, 2011, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/miep-gies-who-hid-anne-frank-dies-at-100. Accessed 5 Sept. 2017.