The Miep Gies Story
Miep Gies, who introduces the video and whose character is represented in the story, is a real person who was one of the main protectors of the Anne Frank group when they were in hiding.
- Her early life--Miep Gies (when properly pronounced, Miep rhymes with "keep" and Gies sounds like "geese") was born in Vienna, Austria. After World War I, her family sent 10-year old Miep to Holland because of her poor health. She grew up with her adopted family. In 1933, she went to work as a secretary for Otto Frank, the father of Anne Frank. When the Nazis entered Holland in 1940, Miep was given a German passport, but when she refused to join the women's organization of the Nazis, her passport was invalidated.
- Miep and Jan--In 1941, she married Jan Gies, a young Dutchman. Jan worked in the Dutch underground resistance, and helped many Jews hide from the Nazis. Marrying a Dutchman also kept Miep in Holland rather than having to return to Austria during World War II.
- The protector--Miep was one of the main contacts for Anne Frank and the others who hid in the secret apartment of their business. She brought them food, not an easy job with wartime rationing. She also brought gifts and news from the outside. Although others visited those in hiding, Miep was the main lifeline to survival, risking her life daily. Anne Frank had a particular fondness for Miep and looked forward to her visits. When the group in hiding was discovered by the Nazis, Miep was in the office. She was questioned by the police but was not arrested along with the others. However, the police indicated they knew of her husband's activities. At great personal risk, she took money to the Gestapo to attempt to buy the freedom of the prisoners from the corrupt Nazi guards. Unfortunately, it could not be done.
- The diary--Miep helped to save Anne's papers after the arrest. The Nazis had left these behind as "worthless." It was Miep and her friend Elli who gave the papers to Otto Frank after the war. Today Miep Gies continues to live in the Netherlands. She has written a book Anne Frank Remembered.