Gies always down-played her role in attempting to save the Frank family and four other individuals during World War II by explaining that she did not want to be thought of as a hero. She explained her objection to being so highly regarded by saying “There is nothing special about me. I have never wanted special attention. I was only willing to do what was asked of me and what seemed necessary at the time." Yet, regardless of how she viewed herself, Gies undoubtedly came to symbolize perseverance, determination, and loyalty as a result of her remarkable effort to protect those she cared about.
Preservation of Anne Frank’s Diary
It was largely due to the efforts of Miep Gies that Anne Frank’s diary was preserved throughout World War II. Gies, along with other employees in the small business owned by Anne’s father (Otto Frank), helped to hide the family during the war. After roughly two years in hiding, the annex was raided by the Gestapo and the Frank family, along with the four others who were hiding in the annex, were sent to concentration camps. Two of the employees who were working to conceal the family were also taken by the Germans. Gies believed that she was spared from this fate due to her Austrian heritage; the Nazi officer in charge of the raid was originally from Vienna as she was and, according to the information provided on her website, informed her that she had been spared “out of personal sympathy.” After the raid, Gies collected Anne’s papers and placed the diary and other writings in a locked drawer. Gies later explained that, in an attempt to protect Anne’s privacy, she never read them.
Anne Frank died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in March 1945, shortly before the camp was liberated. After the war ended, Miep Gies gave the diary to Anne’s father who was the only surviving family member. Otto Frank then published the diary in 1947 under the title The Secret Annex. Since its publication, The Diary of a Young Girl (as it is now known in English) has become one of the most widely circulated books available. It has been translated into 65 languages and has been read by millions of people all over the world, a fact which would not have been possible without the efforts of Miep Gies.
The History and Legacy of Miep Gies
Miep Gies was born Hermine Santrouschitz in Vienna, Austria. When her family encountered hardship in her homeland after the First World War, she was sent to the Netherlands where she was eventually adopted by a foster family. When her passport expired, she was in danger of being deported back to Austria. The threat was intensified due to the fact that Gies had refused to join a Nazi organization in Holland. Due to the help of a family member, she received the papers needed to remain in the Netherlands and she married her Dutch boyfriend, Jan Gies. Gies later became a secretary for Otto Frank’s small business in Amsterdam and she was a crucial part of the effort to save the Frank family from the Nazi incursion.
After the war, Gies worked tirelessly to refute allegations that the Holocaust was a myth and that the diary had been forged. As a ceaseless advocate for equality and tolerance, she was awarded the title of “Righteous Gentile” by the Israeli Holocaust Museum. And, she authored her memoir, Anne Frank Remembered: The Story of the Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family, to tell her own side of the story as well as to carry on the legacy of the young girl she had worked to save.
Whether or not she wanted to be called a “hero,” one fact is certain: Miep Gies’ selflessness and bravery have inspired, encouraged, and challenged individuals all over the world to fight intolerance and injustice in their communities. “Hero” or not, there is quite possibly no greater gift that she could have given.
For more information on Miep Gies, please visit her personal website or a compelling tribute to her in MSNBC's international news, as both of these sites served as sources for this article.
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