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“What Happened To Miep Gies?” is the question everybody has been asking since the ‘A Small Light’ series premiered on  May 1, 2023, on National Geographic, Disney+, and Hulu. 

Hermine Gies-Santrouschitz, commonly known as Miep Gies, was a brave Dutch woman who played the biggest role in hiding Anne Frank and her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II.

Miep, her husband Jan Gies, and several other colleagues provided food, clothing, and other supplies to the Frank family and four other Jewish people hiding in their workplace’s annex.

Despite the risk of being apprehended and punished by the Nazis, Miep supported the hidden Jews until the Jews got caught and incarcerated in August 1944.

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What Happened To Miep Gies?

Miep Gies was born in Vienna, Austria, on February 15, 1909.

At eleven, she was sent to Leiden, Netherlands, to live with a Dutch family because of food shortages in Austria following World War I.

The lovely little girl was cherished and cared for by the family. The family later adopted her and gave her the Dutch nickname Miep.

In 1933, she became a secretary for Otto Frank, a German businessman who had fled Nazi Germany and was living in Amsterdam with his wife and two daughters.

When Germany invaded the Netherlands in May 1940, the Franks hid in unused rooms above their office in July 1942.

Mr. Frank had asked Miep if she would help shelter them, and she agreed without hesitation. Miep became a trusted employee and family friend to the Franks. 

Miep, her husband Jan Gies, and three other employees of Mr. Frank’s company looked after the daily needs of the Jews in hiding.

They gave food, books, and emotional support to those hidden in a secret annex behind a movable bookcase.

The constant threat of discovery by the Nazis, who were searching for Jews to deport to concentration camps, was detrimental to Miep and her friends themselves.

Despite the high risks to herself and her loved ones, Miep remained committed to helping those in need. Her bravery and kindness continue to inspire people all across the world.

Illness & Death Cause At 100

Miep Gies lived a long and fruitful life, but her later years were marred by illness.

In late December 2009, she suffered a fall, which resulted in injuries that ultimately led to her death on January 11, 2010, in Hoorn, the Netherlands. At the time of her death, she was 100 years old.

However, before the fall, Miep stayed active and connected with the world around her despite her elderly age.

She traveled the world in her latter years, speaking out against intolerance and promoting the message of hope and courage that she embodied.

She received numerous honors for her bravery, including the highest civilian medal from the West German government in 1989 and a knighthood from Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in 1996.

Miep’s death was a huge loss for the world, and she was mourned by many people who had been inspired by her bravery and dedication to helping others.

Her legacy, however, lives on through her son, Paul Gies, and several grandchildren.

Miep Gies Role In Publishing Anne Frank Book

The publication of Anne Frank’s diary is a testament to Miep Gies’ dedication to preserving the memory of those who suffered and perished during the Holocaust.

Gies gathered Anne’s writings and hid them after the Franks and their friends were captured, expecting Anne would return to claim them one day.

Unfortunately, Anne died at Bergen-Belsen, leaving just her father, Otto Frank, alive.

Gies delivered Anne’s writings to Otto Frank when he returned to Amsterdam after the war, and they were first published in the Netherlands in 1947.

Since then, “Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl” has been translated into dozens of languages and read by millions worldwide. 

It has become one of the twentieth century’s most widely read and treasured books, symbolizing optimism and resilience in the face of unspeakable horror.

But without Miep Gies, Anne’s diary might never have been published.

Gies’ bravery in hiding the Franks and their friends, and her dedication to preserving Anne’s writings, ensured that the world would know the story of this remarkable young girl and her family.

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