Miep Gies by CATHERINE SMITH

Miep Gies: Background

catherinesmith35 — 2025-05-09 15:12:38 UTC

Miep Gies was born on February 15th, 1909 in Vienna, Austria to a Catholic family. Miep was sent to the Netherlands when she was 11 years old in order to become healthier due to the food shortages after WW1. She was taken in by a kind family who eventually became her forever family home. When Miep was eighteen, she became a typist at an embroidery and pleating shop until she was fired when the crisis hit six years later. She then joined Opekta, which is where she met Otto Frank, and her journey to helping hide the Jews began.

Miep Gies

catherinesmith35 — 2025-05-12 15:10:20 UTC

Hiding the Jews

catherinesmith35 — 2025-05-12 15:36:24 UTC

On July 5th, 1942, Miep Gies brought Margot Frank, one of Otto Frank's daughters, to the hiding place, or better known as the Secret Annex, while the others traveled on foot. From this point forward, Miep would bring the occupants of the Secret Annex, Anne, Margot, Edith, and Otto Frank, the Van Pels family, and Fritz Pfeffer, food and any necessities they needed. Miep and other workers, including her husband, Jan Gies, who she married on July 16th, 1941, were able to hide the Jews for two years before they were betrayed and caught on August 4th, 1944. After the Gestapo caught and raided the Secret Annex, Miep tried to pay a bribe in order to let the families free, but was unsuccessful. Fortunately, she was able to grab most of Anne's diary and give it to Otto after the war, to which he went and got it published. Miep went on to live a life devoted to telling her story and honoring everyone who died in the Secret Annex. Up until she passed, Miep would spend every August 4th honoring and remembering the Jews, and her friends, who got captured in the Annex and died in the concentration camps. Miep Gies died on January 11th, 2010.

catherinesmith35 — 2025-05-12 15:40:09 UTC

“I am not a hero. I stand at the end of the long, long line of good Dutch people who did what I did and more–much more–during those dark and terrible times years ago, but always like yesterday in the heart of those of us who bear witness. Never a day goes by that I do not think of what happened then.”

T.V Show based on Miep Gies

catherinesmith35 — 2025-05-12 18:19:31 UTC

Miep Gies's Impact

catherinesmith35 — 2025-05-12 18:27:18 UTC

Miep Gies had an incredible impact on the things we have and the way we see the world today. Because of her, we have The Diary of Anne Frank, which she found the remnants of after the family was caught. While she couldn't save Anne or the rest of the family (apart from Otto), because of her, a young girl's life is able to be honored and respected, as for everyone else's.

The Entrance to the Secret Annex

catherinesmith35 — 2025-05-12 18:29:31 UTC

This is the bookcase door that led to the Secret Annex

catherinesmith35 — 2025-05-13 13:09:36 UTC

‘In that dark time of the war, we did not stand on the sidelines, but extended our hands to help others. Risking our own lives. We could not have done more.’

Miep and Jan Gies

catherinesmith35 — 2025-05-13 13:17:56 UTC

Miep and Jan Gies getting married on July 16th, 1941

Interview of Miep Gies

catherinesmith35 — 2025-05-13 13:22:45 UTC

Why Miep Began Helping

catherinesmith35 — 2025-05-13 15:15:00 UTC

In July of 1942, the systematic deportation to concentration camps and killing centers of the Jews began all throughout the Netherlands. The same month, the Frank family went into hiding in the Secret Annex. Miep at this time knew she needed to help her friends and keep them safe from the Nazis.

Song that describes Miep

catherinesmith35 — 2025-05-13 15:17:40 UTC

Quote

catherinesmith35 — 2025-05-14 14:38:55 UTC

‘They were powerless; they didn’t know where to turn… We did our duty as human beings: helping people in need.’