On January 11 Miep Gies died. Almost 101 years at the time of her demise, Miep Gies was born in Vienna as Hermine Santrouschitz. At the age of 11 she was adopted by a family in Leiden who moved to Amsterdam later on. This adoption was part of a national action that brought thousands of mostly underfed Austrian children to the Netherlands to convalesce.
Miep and Anne Frank
Hermine (Miep) Gies-Santrouschitz found a job as a secretary in Opekta, a company owned by Otto Frank, father of the now so famous Anne Frank, when she was 24.When the family Frank (together with some other Jews) had to go into hiding in the Achterhuis (denoting the hidden back rooms of Otto Frank's office building), Miep Gies, together with other employees of the company, was instantly prepared to supply them with food and news, at the risk of her own life.
The Diary
Upon the discovery and deportation of the family, Gies was questioned and threatened by the Security Police. She returned to the Achterhuis the following day, only to find Anne's papers strewn all over the floor. They turned out to be the famous diary of the girl.
"Het Achterhuis"
Gies returned the diary to Otto Frank after the war. He was the family’s sole survivor, of the Holocaust, and had the diary published in 1947 as Het Achterhuis (The Diary of a Young Girl, 1952). A 1959 film version of this publication, directed by George Stevens, won three Academy Awards and was nominated for best picture. Last year it was reported that David Mamet would write and direct a new Anne Frank film. His script will combine the original diary with the stage play written by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich and new material from Mamet himself.
Not enough
Miep Gies used to refer to what she had done with the laconic words: "I did what I could. It wasn’t enough." Which fits in perfectly with the motto on her own website: "I am not a hero but did what seemed necessary at the time".
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