Miep Gies

Who Was Miep Gies?

Miep Gies, born in Vienna to Austrian parents, became a central figure in one of history’s most poignant stories of courage and survival. Due to illness and poverty, she was sent to the Netherlands for care and grew close to her foster family. After marrying a Dutch man, she worked for Otto Frank, the father of Anne Frank, and became deeply connected with the Frank family. During World War II, Gies, along with a small group of colleagues, risked her life to hide the Frank family in a secret annex above the office where she worked. They remained in hiding for over two years before being discovered by the Gestapo. After their arrest, Gies rescued Anne Frank’s diaries and later returned them to Otto Frank, the sole surviving member of his family, who subsequently had them published. In 1987, Miep Gies recorded her own memoir about these events, and she passed away on January 11, 2010, at the age of 100.

Early Life

Miep Gies was born Hermine Santruschitz on February 15, 1909, in Vienna, Austria, the second daughter of working-class parents. Following the hardships of World War I, including widespread food shortages, young Hermine was accepted into a Dutch program designed to provide malnourished children with better care. In December 1920, she was placed with the Nieuwenburg family in Leiden to recover her health. Her foster family affectionately nicknamed her “Miep,” and she remained with them far beyond the originally intended three-month stay, eventually moving with them to Amsterdam. At the age of 16, Miep returned to Vienna to visit her biological family, but after feeling alienated and unsure of staying, she was relieved when her parents expressed understanding of her desire to remain in the Netherlands.

Working Life

At the age of 18, Miep completed her schooling and began working in the office of a textile company. However, after being laid off at 24 due to the economic downturn caused by the Depression, Miep struggled to find stable employment. Her luck changed when a neighbor informed her of a job opening at Nederlandsche Opekta, a company that supplied ingredients for jam-making. She interviewed with Otto Frank, who had fled Nazi Germany with his family and his business. Despite their language barriers—Miep speaking fractured Dutch and Otto fluent German—the two formed a strong bond. Miep passed the jam-making test and began working for Otto.

Miep’s personal life also saw significant changes during this time. She and her boyfriend, Jan Gies, courted for several years but faced financial difficulties that delayed their marriage. However, after the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands in 1940, Miep took proactive steps to secure her Dutch nationality, aided by a fortunate connection in the Viennese civil service. Miep and Jan were finally able to marry on July 16, 1941, with Otto Frank and his family, including Anne Frank, in attendance.

Hiding the Franks

In June 1942, as the situation for Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe worsened, the Frank family made the decision to go into hiding. They sought refuge in a secret annex located in the upper floors of the office building where Otto Frank, Anne’s father, had worked. Miep Gies, along with her husband Jan, became crucial allies in this endeavor. Miep, alongside a small group of trusted individuals, took on the role of “helper,” secretly delivering food and supplies to the family. Using illegal ration cards obtained through Jan’s connections in the Dutch resistance, Miep was able to gather the necessary provisions from various grocers. Along with maintaining the family’s hideout, Miep and her colleagues kept the Frank’s business operational, which helped to ensure that the annex remained inconspicuous.

On one occasion, Miep and Jan spent the night in the annex with the eight people in hiding. Miep later recalled, “The fright…was so thick I could feel it pressing down on me.” For over two years, Miep and her co-workers managed to keep the Frank family safe. However, on August 4, 1944, their efforts were tragically thwarted when the annex was raided by the Nazis. The occupants were arrested and deported to concentration camps. In the chaos, Miep discovered Anne Frank’s diaries and kept them safe, hoping to return them to the family once they returned.

Sadly, only Otto Frank survived the war. Upon learning of the deaths of his wife and daughters, Miep gave him Anne’s diaries. Despite the emotional toll, she later acknowledged the powerful gift Anne had given her, saying, “Though I wept a lot, I kept thinking: ‘Anne, you gave me one of the finest presents I ever got.'”

Otto Frank lived with Miep and Jan until 1953, when he moved away. In 1952, Miep and Jan welcomed their son, Paul, into the world. Although Anne’s diaries were first published in 1947, Miep had not read them at the time. It was only when the diaries were reprinted that Otto encouraged her to do so.

Death and Legacy

Miep Gies passed away on January 11, 2010, just a month shy of her 101st birthday, in a nursing home after a fall. She had authored a memoir, Anne Frank Remembered, published in 1987, which provides a compelling and insightful perspective on life in the Secret Annex. Throughout her life, Miep toured and lectured on the lessons of the Holocaust and the enduring legacy of Anne Frank. Despite her pivotal role in the survival of the Frank family, Miep always maintained that she was not a hero. She humbly believed she had simply done what any other “good Dutch person” would have done. Anne Frank herself wrote, “We are never far from Miep’s thoughts.”

In her later years, Miep received several honors, including the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Yad Vashem Medal, and the Wallenberg Medal. Upon receiving the Wallenberg Medal, she remarked, “I feel strongly that we should not wait for our political leaders to make this world a better place.” Miep’s life and actions continue to stand as a testament to the impact of individual courage and the power of human decency in the face of unspeakable evil.