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{{Short description|Dutch citizen who hid Anne Frank (1909–2010)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox person {{Infobox person
| name = '''Miep Gies''' | name = Miep Gies
| image = Miep Gies (1987).jpg | image = Miep Gies, contemplative.jpg
| caption = Miep Gies (1987) | caption = Gies in 1987
| birth_name = Hermine Santruschitz | birth_name = Hermine Santrouschitz
| birth_date = 15 February, 1909 | birth_date = 15 February 1909
| birth_place = ], ] | birth_place = ], ]
| death_date = {{death date and age|2010|01|11|1909|2|15|df=y}} | death_date = {{death date and age|2010|01|11|1909|2|15|df=y}}
| death_place = ], ], ] | death_place = ], Netherlands
| known_for = Hiding Jews such as ] and family from the ] | known_for = Hiding Dutch Jews, including ] and her family, from the ]; keeping ]
| spouse = {{marriage|]|1941|1993|reason=died}}
|religion = ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://teacher.scholastic.com/frank/moving.htm |title=Miep Gies: Moving to Holland |publisher=Scholastic|accessdate=2011-08-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2010/01/miep_gies_was_a_true_saint.html |title=Sainthood for Miep Gies |author=Menachem Z. Rosensaft |work=The Washington Post |date=January 12, 2010 | accessdate=2010-05-12}}</ref>
| children = 1
| spouse = ] (1905–1993)<br> (1941–1993; his death)
⚫ | website =
| children =Paul Gies (born 1950)
⚫ | website = http://www.miepgies.com
}} }}
⚫ {{Righteous Among the Nations}}
'''Hermine Santruschitz''' (15 February 1909 &ndash; 11 January 2010),<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8453331.stm |title=Anne Frank diary guardian Miep Gies dies aged 100 |publisher=BBC News |date=12 January 2010 |accessdate=12 January 2010}}</ref> better known as '''Miep Gies''' ({{IPA-nl|mip xis}}), was one of the ] citizens who hid ], her family and four other Jews from the ] in an annex above Anne's father's business premises during ]. She was Austrian by birth, but in 1920, at the age of only eleven, was taken in as a foster child by a Dutch family to whom she became very attached. Although she was initially only to stay for six months, this stay was extended to one year because of frail health, after which she chose to remain with them, living the rest of her life in the Netherlands. In 1933 she began working for ], a businessman who had moved with his family from Germany to the Netherlands in hopes of sparing his family Nazi persecution because they were ]. Miep became a close, trusted friend of the family and was a great support to them during the two years they spent in hiding. She retrieved ] after the family was arrested and kept the papers safe until Otto Frank returned from Auschwitz in 1945, and learned of his youngest daughter's death.<ref>Obituary '']'', 12 January 2010.</ref><ref>Obituary '']'', 12 January 2010.</ref><ref>Obituary '']'', 13 January 2010.</ref><ref>Obituary '']'', 13 January 2010.</ref><ref>Obituary '']'', 14 January 2010.</ref><ref name=BBC100>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7891056.stm |title=Anne Frank guardian reaches 100 |publisher=BBC News |date=15 February 2009}}</ref><ref name=LATimes>{{cite news |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2009/02/miep-geis-anne.html |title=Miep Gies, Anne Frank's custodian, turns 100 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |author=Carolyn Kellogg |date=17 February 2009}}</ref>
]
⚫ Together with ] Miep authored the book ''Anne Frank Remembered: The Story of the Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family'', first published in 1987.
]

'''Hermine''' "'''Miep'''" '''Gies''' ({{IPA|nl|mip ˈxis|lang}};{{efn|''Gies'' in isolation: {{IPA|nl|ˈɣis|}}.}} {{née|'''Santrouschitz'''}}; 15 February 1909 – 11 January 2010) was one of the Dutch citizens who hid ], her family (], ], ]) and four other Dutch Jews (], ], ], ]) from the ] in an annex above Otto Frank's business premises during ]. She was Austrian by birth, but in 1920, at the age of eleven, she was taken in as a foster child by a Dutch family in ] to whom she became very attached. Although she was only supposed to stay for six months, this stay was extended to one year because of frail health, after which Gies chose to remain with them, living the rest of her life in the Netherlands.

She said, "Over two million Holand people had helped hid Jewish people in the Second World War, I am just doing what I can to help".

In 1933, Gies began working for ], a Jewish businessman who had moved with his family from Germany to the Netherlands in the hope of sparing his family from ] persecution. She became a close, trusted friend of the Frank family and was a great support to them during the twenty-five months they spent in hiding. Together with her colleague ], she retrieved ] after the family was arrested, and kept the papers safe until Otto Frank returned from ] in June 1945 and learned of his younger daughter's death soon afterwards. Gies had stored Anne Frank's papers in the hopes of returning them to the girl, but gave them to Otto Frank, who compiled them into a diary first published in June 1947.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Luther |first=Claudia |date=2010-01-12 |title=Miep Gies dies at 100; gave protection to Anne Frank |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-miep-gies12-2010jan12-story.html |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>Obituary in the '']'', 12 January 2010.</ref><ref>Obituary in '']'', 13 January 2010.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ezard |first=John |date=2010-01-12 |title=Miep Gies obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jan/12/miep-gies-obituary |access-date=2024-08-01 |work=] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-01-14 |title=Miep Gies: Office secretary who helped to hide the Frank family from the Nazis before rescuing Anne's diary |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/miep-gies-office-secretary-who-helped-to-hide-the-frank-family-from-the-nazis-before-rescuing-anne-s-diary-1867078.html |access-date=2024-07-31 |website=]}}</ref><ref name="BBC100">{{cite news |date=15 February 2009 |title=Anne Frank guardian reaches 100 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7891056.stm |access-date=31 July 2024 |work=] |publisher=}}</ref><ref name="LATimes">{{cite news |author=Carolyn Kellogg |date=17 February 2009 |title=Miep Gies, Anne Frank's custodian, turns 100 |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2009/02/miep-geis-anne.html |access-date=31 July 2024 |newspaper=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Goldstein |first=Richard |date=2010-01-12 |title=Miep Gies, Protector of Anne Frank, Dies at 100 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/world/europe/12gies.html |access-date=2024-08-01 |work=] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

⚫ In collaboration with ], Gies wrote the book ''Anne Frank Remembered: The Story of the Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family'' in 1987.<ref name="Anne Frank Remembered Book, 2010" /> She died in 2010 at age 100.


== Early life == == Early life ==
Born in ], Austria on 15 February 1909 to Karoline Maria Santrouschitz,<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |last=Santrouschitz |first=Hermine |title=Taufbuch - 01-213 {{!}} 08., Alservorstadtkrankenhaus {{!}} Wien/Niederösterreich (Osten): Rk. Erzdiözese Wien {{!}} Österreich {{!}} Matricula Online |url=https://data.matricula-online.eu/de/oesterreich/wien/08-alservorstadtkrankenhaus/01-213/?pg=212 |access-date=18 June 2021 |website=data.matricula-online.eu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Santruschitz|first=Karoline Maria|title=Taufbuch - 01-10 {{!}} 15., Fuenfhaus {{!}} Wien/Niederösterreich (Osten): Rk. Erzdiözese Wien {{!}} Österreich {{!}} Matricula Online|url=https://data.matricula-online.eu/de/oesterreich/wien/15-fuenfhaus/01-10/?pg=228|access-date=18 June 2021|website=data.matricula-online.eu}}</ref> She was sent to ] from Vienna in December 1920 to escape the food shortages prevailing in Austria after ]. The Nieuwenburgs, a working-class family who already had five children of their own, took her as their foster daughter, and called her by the diminutive "Miep" by which she became known. In 1922, she moved with her foster family to Gaaspstraat 25<ref name="Anne Frank Remembered Book, 2010">''Anne Frank Remembered'' book, 2010</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Person Card: Hermine Santrouschitz |url=https://archief.amsterdam/indexen/deeds/f33cb3b9-6e4d-4ad1-a2ba-cf2aa3725d06 |access-date=18 June 2021 |website=archief.amsterdam}}</ref> in ]. Gies was an ], and described herself as "reserved and very independent"; after graduating high school, she worked as an accountant and then in 1933 as a secretary with the Dutch branch of the German spice firm ]. Gies wrote, "But the office was not the only thing in my life. My social life at this time was very lively. I loved to dance and belonged like many young Dutch girls, to a dance club."<ref>Gies M., Gold A.L. Anne Frank remembered. The story of the woman who helped to hide the Frank family, London, 2009. p.26.</ref>
] in 1989]]

Born '''Hermine Santruschitz''' in ], (later spelled as '''Santrouschitz''' in the Netherlands), she was transported to ] from ] in December 1920 to escape the food shortages prevailing in Austria after ]. The Nieuwenburg family took her as their foster daughter, and called her by the diminutive "Miep" by which she became known. In 1922, she moved with her foster family to ]. In 1933, she met ] when she applied for the post of temporary secretary with the Dutch branch of the German firm ]. Otto Frank had just relocated from Germany and had been appointed Managing Director of their Dutch operations. The company, with head offices in ], Germany, sold a ] preparation used for making jams and jellies, and had recently expanded to the Netherlands. She initially ran the complaints and information desk in Opekta, and was eventually promoted to a more general administrative role. She became a close friend of the Frank family, as did ], her long-time fiancé. After refusing to join a Nazi women's association, her passport was invalidated and she was ordered to be deported within ninety days back to Austria (by then annexed by Germany, and by default she was now classified as a German citizen and had been forced to accept a German Passport). The couple were married as quickly as possible on 16 July 1941 so that she could obtain Dutch citizenship, and thus evade deportation. Her knowledge of ] and ] helped the Frank family assimilate into Dutch society, and she and her husband became regular guests at the Franks' home. They were the Franks' greatest friends until Otto Franks death
Otto Frank had just relocated from Germany and had been appointed managing director of Opekta's recently expanded Dutch operations. Gies, Frank's employee, became a close friend of the family, as did her fiancé, ]. After refusing to join a Nazi women's association, her passport was invalidated, and she was ordered to be deported back to Austria within 90 days (by then annexed by Germany, which classified her as a German citizen). The couple faced some difficulties, but they were married on 16 July 1941 so that she could obtain Dutch citizenship and thus evade deportation. "Anne was impressed with my gold ring. She looked at it dreamily. (...) Because times were hard, we had only one ring, although the custom was for a couple to have two. Henk and I had barely scraped together enough money for one gold ring. He had insisted that I should wear it."<ref>Gies M., Gold A.L. Anne Frank remembered. The story of the woman who helped to hide the Frank family, London, 2009. p.77.</ref> Gies's fluency in ] and ] helped the Frank family assimilate into Dutch society, and she and her husband became regular guests at the Franks' home.


==Hiding the families== ==Hiding the families==
With her husband ], and the other ] employees, ], ], and ], Miep Gies helped hide Otto and Edith Frank, their daughters ] and ], ] and his wife ], their son ], and ] in several upstairs rooms in the company's office building on Amsterdam's ] from July 6, 1942 to August 4, 1944.<ref>María Mercedes Romagnoli The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation</ref> In an interview, Miep said she was glad to help the families hide because she was extremely concerned about them seeing what was happening to the Jews in ]. Every day, she saw trucks loaded with Jews heading to the railway station from where the trains left for ]. She did not tell anyone, not even her own foster parents, about the people in hiding whom she was assisting. With her husband Jan and other Opekta employees (], ] and ]), Miep Gies helped hide Otto and Edith Frank; their daughters ] and ]; ], ] and ] van Pels; and ] in several upstairs rooms in the company's office building on Amsterdam's ] from 6 July 1942 to 4 August 1944.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Romagnoli |first=María Mercedes |others=Translated by Josefina Prytyka |title=The guardians of Holland |url=https://www.raoulwallenberg.net/saviors/others/guardians-holland/ |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation |language=en-US}}</ref> In an interview, Gies said she was glad to help the families hide because she was extremely concerned after seeing what was happening to the Jews in Amsterdam. Every day, she saw trucks loaded with Jews heading to the railway station, en route to ]. She did not tell anyone, including her foster parents, about the people in hiding whom she was assisting.{{Cn|date=August 2024}}


When purchasing food for the people in hiding, Miep avoided suspicion in many ways, for example by visiting several different suppliers a day. She never carried more than what one shopping bag could hold or what she could hide under her coat. She kept the workers at Opekta from being suspicious by trying not to enter the hiding place during office hours. Her husband also helped her by providing ration cards which he had obtained illegally. By visiting several grocery shops and markets a day, Miep developed a good feeling for the supply situation. When purchasing food for the people in hiding, Gies avoided suspicion in many ways: for example, by visiting several different suppliers in a day. She never carried more than what one shopping bag could hold or what she could hide under her coat. To prevent the Opekta workers from becoming suspicious, Gies tried not to enter the hiding place during office hours. Her husband also helped by providing ration cards that he had obtained illegally. By visiting various grocery shops and markets on a regular basis, Gies developed a good sense of the supply situation.{{Cn|date=August 2024}}


At their apartment, a short bicycle ride away from the secret annex, Miep and her husband (who belonged to the ]), also hid an anti-Nazi university student.<ref>{{Cite news|journal=The New York Times|title=Miep Gies, Protector of Anne Frank, Dies at 100|date=11 January 2010|author=Goldstein, Richard|accessdate=18 August 2012}}</ref> At their apartment, close to the Merwedeplein where the Franks had lived before going into hiding, Gies and her husband Jan (who belonged to the ]) also hid an anti-Nazi university student.<ref name="goldstein">{{Cite news|journal=The New York Times|title=Miep Gies, Protector of Anne Frank, Dies at 100|date=11 January 2010|last=Goldstein|first=Richard|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/12/world/europe/12gies.html|access-date=18 August 2012}}</ref>


===The capture=== ===The capture===
On the morning of August 4, 1944, sitting at her desk, Miep looked up and saw a man pointing a gun towards Anne and her sister and said, "Sit down! Don't even flinch!" The families had been betrayed and the ] arrested the people hidden at 263 Prinsengracht, as well as Mr. Kugler and Johannes Kleiman. The next day, Miep went to the German police office to try to find them. She offered money to buy their freedom, but did not succeed. Miep and the other helpers could have been executed if they had been caught hiding Jews; however, she was not arrested because the police officer who came to interrogate her was from ], her birth town. Apart from the shock and heartbreak for her friends, Miep remained safe with Jan in Amsterdam throughout the rest of the war. On the morning of 4 August 1944, sitting at her desk, Gies, along with Voskuijl and Kleiman, was confronted by a man with a gun commanding "Stay put! Don't move! Not a sound!" The families had been betrayed and the ] arrested the people hidden at 263 Prinsengracht, as well as Kugler and Kleiman. The next day, Gies went to the German police office to try to find the arrestees. She offered money to buy their freedom but did not succeed. Gies and the other helpers could have been executed if they had been caught hiding Jews; however, she was not arrested because the police officer who came to interrogate her was from ], her birth town. She recognized his accent and told him they had the same hometown. He was amazed, then started pacing and cursing at her, finally deciding to let her stay.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Video |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDU34fvA9C4 |url-access=subscription |website=]}}</ref> Gies remained safe with her husband in Amsterdam throughout the rest of the war.{{Cn|date=August 2024}}

Before the hiding place was emptied by the authorities, Miep retrieved Anne Frank's diaries and saved them in her desk drawer. Once the war was over and it was confirmed that Anne Frank had perished in ], Gies gave the collection of papers and notebooks to the sole survivor from the ], Otto Frank.<ref name="BBC100"/> After transcribing sections for his family, his daughter's literary ability became apparent and he arranged for the book's publication in 1947. Gies did not read the diaries before turning them over to Otto, and later remarked that if she had she would have had to destroy them because the diary contained the names of all five of the helpers as well as their ] suppliers. She was persuaded by Otto Frank to read it in its second printing.<ref name=LATimes/> Before the hiding place was emptied by the authorities, Gies and the younger secretary ] retrieved parts of Anne Frank's diaries and saved them in their desk drawer. Gies was determined to give them back to Anne. After the war had ended and it was confirmed that Anne Frank had perished in the ] concentration camp, Gies gave the collection of papers and notebooks to the sole survivor from the ], Otto Frank.<ref name="BBC100"/> After transcribing sections for his family, Frank was persuaded of the value of Anne’s account of their ordeal and arranged for the book's publication in 1947. Gies did not read the diaries before turning them over to Otto and later remarked that if she had, she would have had to destroy them because the papers contained the names of all five of the helpers as well as of their ] suppliers. She was persuaded by Otto Frank to read the diary in its second printing.<ref name=LATimes/> In 1947, Miep and Jan Gies moved to Jekerstraat 65, by the {{ill|Merwedeplein|nl}}, along with Otto Frank.<ref name="Anne Frank Remembered Book, 2010" />

Miep Gies had assured Anne Frank's biographer ] repeatedly that she did not think the main suspect, Willem van Maaren, was the culprit in the betrayal.<ref>Melissa Müller: ''Anne Frank: The Biography''. Metropolitan Books, Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1998 (revised edition 2013), Foreword to the revised edition, page XV.</ref>


==Honors and awards== ==Honors and awards==
]
⚫ In 1994, Gies was awarded the ] as well as the ] by the ]. The following year, Gies received the ] ]. In 1997, she was knighted by ]. The ] ] is named in her honor.<ref>.</ref>
Miep and Jan Gies were recognised as ] by ] on 8 March 1972.<ref></ref>


⚫ In 1994, Gies was awarded the ] as well as the ] by the ]. In 1997, she was knighted in the ] by ]. The ] 99949 Miep Gies is named in her honor.<ref>.</ref> She always maintained that while she appreciated the honors, they embarrassed her: "I am not a hero. I am not a special person. I don't want attention. I did what any decent person would have done."{{fact|date=August 2024}}
⚫ On July 30, 2009, the Austrian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Wolfgang Paul presented ] to Gies at her home.<ref>{{cite web | last= | first= | title=Grand Decoration of Honour for Services | date= | url=http://www.miepgies.nl/en/615.html |accessdate=27 September 2012 }}</ref>


⚫ On 30 July 2009, the Austrian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Wolfgang Paul, presented the ] to Gies at her home.<ref>{{cite web |title=Grand Decoration of Honour for Services |url=http://www.miepgies.nl/en/615.html |access-date=27 September 2012 |website=Miep Gies}}</ref>
⚫ ==Death==

On January 11, 2010, Miep Gies died at 100, in ], a town in the Netherlands. She outlived her husband, Jan Gies, by 17 years. She was survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Paul & Lucie Gies, and three grandchildren, Erwin, Jeanine, and David.
⚫ ==Death and legacy==
On 11 January 2010, Gies died, aged 100, in the city of ] after suffering injuries from a fall.<ref name="goldstein" /><ref name="bbc-died">{{cite news |date=12 January 2010 |title=Anne Frank diary guardian Miep Gies dies aged 100 |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8453331.stm |access-date=12 January 2010 |work=] |publisher=}}</ref>

Gies was interviewed about her memories of hiding the Frank family for the 1995 documentary film '']'' by ]. Miep Gies' story was adapted into a television ] called '']''. It was released in 2023; ] portrays Gies.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Caroline |date=2022-02-06 |title=A Small Light Miniseries to Tell the Story of Anne Frank's Protectors on Disney+ |url=https://movieweb.com/disney-orders-a-small-light-miniseries/ |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=MovieWeb |language=en}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}} {{reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{ill|Bettina Flitner|de|lt=Flitner, Bettina}}: ''Frauen mit Visionen – 48 Europäerinnen (Women with visions – 48 Europeans)''. With text by ]. Munich: Knesebeck, 2004. {{ISBN|3-89660-211-X}}, 88–95 p.
* {{cite book|title=The Diary of Anne Frank: The Revised Critical Edition|author=Anne Frank|editor=David Barnouw|editor2=Gerrold Van der Stroom|translator= Arnold J. Pomerans|translator-link= Arnold J. Pomerans|others= Compiled by H. J. J. Hardy.|edition=second|publisher=Doubleday|year= 2003}}
* {{cite book|title=Anne Frank Remembered|author=Miep Gies|author2=Alison Leslie Gold|publisher=Simon and Schuster|year=1988}}
* {{cite book|title=Roses from the Earth: the Biography of Anne Frank|author=Carol Ann Lee|publisher= Penguin |year=1999}}
* {{cite book|title=Anne Frank: the Biography|author=Melissa Müller|others=Foreword by Miep Gies|publisher=Bloomsbury |year=1999}}
* {{cite book|title=The Hidden Life of Otto Frank|author=Carol Ann Lee|publisher=Penguin| year=2002}}
* {{cite book|title=The Last Secret of the Secret Annex: The Untold Story of Anne Frank, Her Silent Protector, and a Family Betrayal|author=Joop van Wijk-Voskuijl; Jeroen De Bruyn|publisher=Simon and Schuster|year=2023}} {{ISBN|9781982198213}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{Commons category|Miep Gies}}
{{wikiquote}} {{wikiquote}}
* *
* {{IMDb name|id=0317414}} * {{IMDb name|id=0317414}}
* *
* – her activity to save Jews' lives during the ], at ] website
*
⚫ *
*
⚫ * - ''Daily Telegraph'' obituary
*
{{Anne Frank}}
*
⚫ *
⚫ * - Daily Telegraph obituary


{{Secret Annex}} {{Authority control}}


{{Authority control|VIAF=27087682}}
{{Persondata
|NAME=Gies, Hermine
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Gies, Miep
⚫ |SHORT DESCRIPTION=Righteous Among the Nations
|DATE OF BIRTH= 15 February 1909
|PLACE OF BIRTH= ], ]
|DATE OF DEATH=2010-01-11
|PLACE OF DEATH=], Netherlands}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gies, Miep}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Gies, Miep}}
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
⚫ ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
] ]
]
]
]
] ]
] ]
⚫ ]

{{Link GA|zh}}

Latest revision as of 18:46, 24 November 2024

Dutch citizen who hid Anne Frank (1909–2010)

Miep Gies
Gies in 1987
BornHermine Santrouschitz
15 February 1909
Vienna, Austria-Hungary
Died11 January 2010(2010-01-11) (aged 100)
Hoorn, Netherlands
Known forHiding Dutch Jews, including Anne Frank and her family, from the Nazis; keeping Anne's diary
Spouse Jan Gies ​ ​(m. 1941; died 1993)​
Children1
Websitemiepgies.com
Righteous
Among the Nations
By country
Otto Frank (father of Anne Frank) and Miep Gies, Achterhuis, Anne Frankhuis, Amsterdam, 9 May 1958
Miep and her husband Jan Gies at the book presentation of Miep Gies: Herinneringen aan Anne Frank (the Dutch version of the book Anne Frank remembered : the story of the woman who helped to hide the Frank family, 1987) in Anne Frankhuis near the moveable bookcase covering the stair to the secret hiding place "Achterhuis", Anne Frankhuis, Amsterdam, 5 May 1987

Hermine "Miep" Gies (Dutch: [mip ˈxis]; née Santrouschitz; 15 February 1909 – 11 January 2010) was one of the Dutch citizens who hid Anne Frank, her family (Otto Frank, Margot Frank, Edith Frank) and four other Dutch Jews (Fritz Pfeffer, Hermann van Pels, Auguste van Pels, Peter van Pels) from the Nazis in an annex above Otto Frank's business premises during World War II. She was Austrian by birth, but in 1920, at the age of eleven, she was taken in as a foster child by a Dutch family in Leiden to whom she became very attached. Although she was only supposed to stay for six months, this stay was extended to one year because of frail health, after which Gies chose to remain with them, living the rest of her life in the Netherlands.

She said, "Over two million Holand people had helped hid Jewish people in the Second World War, I am just doing what I can to help".

In 1933, Gies began working for Otto Frank, a Jewish businessman who had moved with his family from Germany to the Netherlands in the hope of sparing his family from Nazi persecution. She became a close, trusted friend of the Frank family and was a great support to them during the twenty-five months they spent in hiding. Together with her colleague Bep Voskuijl, she retrieved Anne Frank's diary after the family was arrested, and kept the papers safe until Otto Frank returned from Auschwitz in June 1945 and learned of his younger daughter's death soon afterwards. Gies had stored Anne Frank's papers in the hopes of returning them to the girl, but gave them to Otto Frank, who compiled them into a diary first published in June 1947.

In collaboration with Alison Leslie Gold, Gies wrote the book Anne Frank Remembered: The Story of the Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family in 1987. She died in 2010 at age 100.

Early life

Born in Vienna, Austria on 15 February 1909 to Karoline Maria Santrouschitz, She was sent to Leiden from Vienna in December 1920 to escape the food shortages prevailing in Austria after World War I. The Nieuwenburgs, a working-class family who already had five children of their own, took her as their foster daughter, and called her by the diminutive "Miep" by which she became known. In 1922, she moved with her foster family to Gaaspstraat 25 in Amsterdam. Gies was an honors student, and described herself as "reserved and very independent"; after graduating high school, she worked as an accountant and then in 1933 as a secretary with the Dutch branch of the German spice firm Opekta. Gies wrote, "But the office was not the only thing in my life. My social life at this time was very lively. I loved to dance and belonged like many young Dutch girls, to a dance club."

Otto Frank had just relocated from Germany and had been appointed managing director of Opekta's recently expanded Dutch operations. Gies, Frank's employee, became a close friend of the family, as did her fiancé, Jan Gies. After refusing to join a Nazi women's association, her passport was invalidated, and she was ordered to be deported back to Austria within 90 days (by then annexed by Germany, which classified her as a German citizen). The couple faced some difficulties, but they were married on 16 July 1941 so that she could obtain Dutch citizenship and thus evade deportation. "Anne was impressed with my gold ring. She looked at it dreamily. (...) Because times were hard, we had only one ring, although the custom was for a couple to have two. Henk and I had barely scraped together enough money for one gold ring. He had insisted that I should wear it." Gies's fluency in Dutch and German helped the Frank family assimilate into Dutch society, and she and her husband became regular guests at the Franks' home.

Hiding the families

With her husband Jan and other Opekta employees (Victor Kugler, Johannes Kleiman and Bep Voskuijl), Miep Gies helped hide Otto and Edith Frank; their daughters Margot and Anne; Hermann, Auguste and Peter van Pels; and Fritz Pfeffer in several upstairs rooms in the company's office building on Amsterdam's Prinsengracht from 6 July 1942 to 4 August 1944. In an interview, Gies said she was glad to help the families hide because she was extremely concerned after seeing what was happening to the Jews in Amsterdam. Every day, she saw trucks loaded with Jews heading to the railway station, en route to Nazi concentration camps. She did not tell anyone, including her foster parents, about the people in hiding whom she was assisting.

When purchasing food for the people in hiding, Gies avoided suspicion in many ways: for example, by visiting several different suppliers in a day. She never carried more than what one shopping bag could hold or what she could hide under her coat. To prevent the Opekta workers from becoming suspicious, Gies tried not to enter the hiding place during office hours. Her husband also helped by providing ration cards that he had obtained illegally. By visiting various grocery shops and markets on a regular basis, Gies developed a good sense of the supply situation.

At their apartment, close to the Merwedeplein where the Franks had lived before going into hiding, Gies and her husband Jan (who belonged to the Dutch resistance) also hid an anti-Nazi university student.

The capture

On the morning of 4 August 1944, sitting at her desk, Gies, along with Voskuijl and Kleiman, was confronted by a man with a gun commanding "Stay put! Don't move! Not a sound!" The families had been betrayed and the Grüne Polizei arrested the people hidden at 263 Prinsengracht, as well as Kugler and Kleiman. The next day, Gies went to the German police office to try to find the arrestees. She offered money to buy their freedom but did not succeed. Gies and the other helpers could have been executed if they had been caught hiding Jews; however, she was not arrested because the police officer who came to interrogate her was from Vienna, her birth town. She recognized his accent and told him they had the same hometown. He was amazed, then started pacing and cursing at her, finally deciding to let her stay. Gies remained safe with her husband in Amsterdam throughout the rest of the war.

Before the hiding place was emptied by the authorities, Gies and the younger secretary Bep Voskuijl retrieved parts of Anne Frank's diaries and saved them in their desk drawer. Gies was determined to give them back to Anne. After the war had ended and it was confirmed that Anne Frank had perished in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, Gies gave the collection of papers and notebooks to the sole survivor from the Secret Annex, Otto Frank. After transcribing sections for his family, Frank was persuaded of the value of Anne’s account of their ordeal and arranged for the book's publication in 1947. Gies did not read the diaries before turning them over to Otto and later remarked that if she had, she would have had to destroy them because the papers contained the names of all five of the helpers as well as of their black-market suppliers. She was persuaded by Otto Frank to read the diary in its second printing. In 1947, Miep and Jan Gies moved to Jekerstraat 65, by the Merwedeplein [nl], along with Otto Frank.

Miep Gies had assured Anne Frank's biographer Melissa Müller repeatedly that she did not think the main suspect, Willem van Maaren, was the culprit in the betrayal.

Honors and awards

Miep and Jan Gies with plaque, 1987

Miep and Jan Gies were recognised as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem on 8 March 1972.

In 1994, Gies was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany as well as the Wallenberg Medal by the University of Michigan. In 1997, she was knighted in the Order of Orange-Nassau by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. The minor planet 99949 Miep Gies is named in her honor. She always maintained that while she appreciated the honors, they embarrassed her: "I am not a hero. I am not a special person. I don't want attention. I did what any decent person would have done."

On 30 July 2009, the Austrian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Wolfgang Paul, presented the Grand Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria to Gies at her home.

Death and legacy

On 11 January 2010, Gies died, aged 100, in the city of Hoorn after suffering injuries from a fall.

Gies was interviewed about her memories of hiding the Frank family for the 1995 documentary film Anne Frank Remembered by Jon Blair. Miep Gies' story was adapted into a television miniseries called A Small Light. It was released in 2023; Bel Powley portrays Gies.

Notes

  1. Gies in isolation: [ˈɣis].

References

  1. Luther, Claudia (12 January 2010). "Miep Gies dies at 100; gave protection to Anne Frank". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  2. Obituary in the Washington Post, 12 January 2010.
  3. Obituary in The Times, 13 January 2010.
  4. Ezard, John (12 January 2010). "Miep Gies obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  5. "Miep Gies: Office secretary who helped to hide the Frank family from the Nazis before rescuing Anne's diary". The Independent. 14 January 2010. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Anne Frank guardian reaches 100". BBC News. 15 February 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  7. ^ Carolyn Kellogg (17 February 2009). "Miep Gies, Anne Frank's custodian, turns 100". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  8. Goldstein, Richard (12 January 2010). "Miep Gies, Protector of Anne Frank, Dies at 100". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  9. ^ Anne Frank Remembered book, 2010
  10. Santrouschitz, Hermine. "Taufbuch - 01-213 | 08., Alservorstadtkrankenhaus | Wien/Niederösterreich (Osten): Rk. Erzdiözese Wien | Österreich | Matricula Online". data.matricula-online.eu. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  11. Santruschitz, Karoline Maria. "Taufbuch - 01-10 | 15., Fuenfhaus | Wien/Niederösterreich (Osten): Rk. Erzdiözese Wien | Österreich | Matricula Online". data.matricula-online.eu. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  12. "Person Card: Hermine Santrouschitz". archief.amsterdam. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  13. Gies M., Gold A.L. Anne Frank remembered. The story of the woman who helped to hide the Frank family, London, 2009. p.26.
  14. Gies M., Gold A.L. Anne Frank remembered. The story of the woman who helped to hide the Frank family, London, 2009. p.77.
  15. Romagnoli, María Mercedes. "The guardians of Holland". The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation. Translated by Josefina Prytyka. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  16. ^ Goldstein, Richard (11 January 2010). "Miep Gies, Protector of Anne Frank, Dies at 100". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  17. "Video". YouTube.
  18. Melissa Müller: Anne Frank: The Biography. Metropolitan Books, Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1998 (revised edition 2013), Foreword to the revised edition, page XV.
  19. Yad Vashem website
  20. JPL Small-Body Database.
  21. "Grand Decoration of Honour for Services". Miep Gies. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  22. "Anne Frank diary guardian Miep Gies dies aged 100". BBC News. 12 January 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
  23. Miller, Caroline (6 February 2022). "A Small Light Miniseries to Tell the Story of Anne Frank's Protectors on Disney+". MovieWeb. Retrieved 25 July 2024.

Further reading

  • Flitner, Bettina [de]: Frauen mit Visionen – 48 Europäerinnen (Women with visions – 48 Europeans). With text by Alice Schwarzer. Munich: Knesebeck, 2004. ISBN 3-89660-211-X, 88–95 p.
  • Anne Frank (2003). David Barnouw; Gerrold Van der Stroom (eds.). The Diary of Anne Frank: The Revised Critical Edition. Translated by Arnold J. Pomerans. Compiled by H. J. J. Hardy. (second ed.). Doubleday.
  • Miep Gies; Alison Leslie Gold (1988). Anne Frank Remembered. Simon and Schuster.
  • Carol Ann Lee (1999). Roses from the Earth: the Biography of Anne Frank. Penguin.
  • Melissa Müller (1999). Anne Frank: the Biography. Foreword by Miep Gies. Bloomsbury.
  • Carol Ann Lee (2002). The Hidden Life of Otto Frank. Penguin.
  • Joop van Wijk-Voskuijl; Jeroen De Bruyn (2023). The Last Secret of the Secret Annex: The Untold Story of Anne Frank, Her Silent Protector, and a Family Betrayal. Simon and Schuster.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) ISBN 9781982198213

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